JAPANESE ORTHODOX CHURCH

The 'Japanese Orthodox Church' (日本ハリストス正教会) is an church of Eastern Orthodoxy under the omophorion of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Contents

History

Organization and hierarchy

Liturgy

References

History

St. Nicholas of Japan (baptized as Ivan Dmitrievich Kasatkin) brought Eastern Orthodoxy to Japan in the 19th Century. In 1861 he was sent by the Russian Orthodox Church to Hakodate, Hokkaidō as a priest to a chapel of the Russian Consulate.^[1]. Though the contemporary Shogun's government prohibited the Japanese conversion to Christianity, soon some neighbors who frequently visited the chapel converted in 1864^[1].—Nikolai's first three converts in Japan. While they were his first converts in Japan, they were not the first Japanese to do so—some Japanese who had settled in Russia had converted to Orthodoxy.
Apart from brief trips, Nicholas stayed in Japan, even during the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), and spread Eastern Orthodoxy nationwide, being appointed as the first bishop of Japanese Orthodox Church. He moved his headquarter from Hakodate to Tokyo around 1863. In 1886 the Japanese Orthodox Church had over 10,000 baptized faithfuls.^[1]. In 1891 Nicholas founded the Cathedral of Tokyo in Kanda district and spent the majority of the last half of his life there, hence Tokyo Resurrection Cathedral was nicknamed Nikorai-do by Kanda citizens.
The early mission to establish the Japanese Orthodox Church depended on the Russian Orthodox Church, especially in financial matters. The war between Russia and Japan created a politically difficult situation for the church. After the Russian Revolution, the support and communications both spiritual and financial from Russian Church were unexpected.^[1]. Also the Japanese government had new suspicions about the Japanese Orthodox Church, in particular, that it was used as a cover for communist Russian espionage. The second bishop of Japan, Metropolitan Sergius (Tikhomirov), called Sergii by Japanese suffered severely from such governmental suspicion, and he was forced to resign his episcopacy. The Russian Church similarly suffered from Stalinist policy and had no ability to help the young church in Japan.
Also Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 gave a serious attack to the Japanese Orthodox Church. Their headquarter, Nikorai-do was destroyed and burned. Its library including many valuable documents was lost. Nikorai-do was rebuilt in 1929 thanks to contributions by the faithfuls which Metropolitan Sergius gathered, visiting them nationwide.^[1].
During the Fifteen Years War (1930–1945), which from 1939 to 1945 was part of World War II, Christianity in Japan suffered severe conditions, the Orthodox Church especially. After the Japanese surrender, the Allied occupation had a generous attitude to Christianity, given its predominantly American composition. As the majority of the Slavic- and Greek-Americans would attend local Orthodox parishes, Orthodoxy in Japan took a step forward. During the war, the Japanese Orthodox Church had almost no foreign contact. After the war, instead of the Russian Church, the precursors of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) helped re-invigorate the Japanese Orthodox Church. Japanese Orthodox Church was governed by bishops from OCA^[1] and several youths who studied at the OCA's Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, then in New York City, are now the leaders of the Japanese Orthodox Church.
Later, as the situation of the Russian Orthodox Church improved, the Japanese Orthodox Church came under their leadership again^[1]. In 1970 Nikolai Kasatkin was glorified by the Patriarch of Moscow and is recognized as St. Nicholas, Apostle to Japan. His commemoration day is February 16. In 2000 the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Bishop Andronic Nikolsky as a Saint and Martyr who was appointed to the first Bishop of Kyoto and later martyred as the archbishop of Perm during the Russian Revolution.
As of 2007, the leader of Japanese Orthodox Church is His Beatitude Daniel (Nushiro), Metropolitan of all Japan and Archbishop of Tokyo, elevated to his seat in 2000.^[8]It is estimated that the Church has some 9,000 adherents today.

Organization and hierarchy

Japanese Orthodox Church has three parishes:

★ Tokyo Archdiocese (Tokyo: Archbishop Daniel Nushiro)

★ Eastern Japan Diocese (Sendai: Bishop Seraphim Tsujie)

★ Western Japan Diocese (Kyoto)
Before enthroned to the Archbishop of Tokyo, thus to the Metropolitan of All Japan, Metropolitian Daniel was the bishop of Kyoto. Since 2001, Metropolitian Daniel is also in charge as locum tenens.
Japanese Orthodox Church runs Tokyo Orthodox Seminary, which accepts only male faithfuls and gives three year theological education, and brings up future priests and missionary.
Japanese Orthodox Church publishes religious books including Japanese Orthodox Version of New Testament and Psalm and Liturgy Books. Liturgy Books are available both in text alone and as musical score. Both Headquarter in Tokyo and local parishes publish brochures, mainly aiming to faithfuls for further religious education.

Liturgy

Japanese Orthodox Church holds its liturgy in Japanese. The liturgical text as well as biblical text were translated by Archibishop Nicholas with assistance of Nakai Tsugumaro, Japanese faithful and Chinese literary scholar, hence it sounds today archaic. However some chants, very rarely but still, could be sung in other languages, such as Church Slavic or Greek.
The liturgical style widely found in Japanese Orthodox Church community is heavily influenced by the late 19th Century Russian style.

References

★ Japanese Orthodox Church Official Site (Japanese/English)

★ Derived with permission from ''Orthodox Church of Japan'' at OrthodoxWiki.
1. 日本の正教会の歴史と現代 "History of Japanese Orthodox Charch and Now"
2. 日本の正教会の歴史と現代 "History of Japanese Orthodox Charch and Now"
3. 日本の正教会の歴史と現代 "History of Japanese Orthodox Charch and Now"
4. 日本の正教会の歴史と現代 "History of Japanese Orthodox Charch and Now"
5. 日本の正教会の歴史と現代 "History of Japanese Orthodox Charch and Now"
6. 日本の正教会の歴史と現代 "History of Japanese Orthodox Charch and Now"
7. 日本の正教会の歴史と現代 "History of Japanese Orthodox Charch and Now"
8. 東京の大主教、全日本の府主教ダニイル "Daniel, Archbishof of Tokyo and metropolitan of all Japan"