Nikolay Japanese

He was born in the Berezovsky graveyard of the Belsky district of the Smolensk province (now the village of Bereza of the Mostovsky rural district of the Oleninsky district of the Tver region) in the family of a deacon . He graduated from the Belsky Theological College and the Smolensk Theological Seminary . Among the best students in 1857, he was recommended and entered into the state account at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy , where he studied from 1857 to 1860, when he learned that there was a vacancy for the post of rector at the recently opened Russian consulate in the city of Hakodate ( Japan ) , expressed a desire. At the personal request of Metropolitan Grigory (Postnikov) of St. Petersburg, he was given a place in Japan and was awarded the degree of candidate of theology without presenting an appropriate qualification essay ^[1] .

On June 23, 1860, the rector of the Academy, Bishop Nektariy (Nadezhdin), was tonsured a monk with a name in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra . June 30, ordained hieromonk ^[1] .

July 2, 1861 arrived in Hakodate . The first years of his stay in Japan, he independently studied the Japanese language , culture and life of the Japanese .

The first Japanese convert to Orthodoxy, despite the fact that conversion to Christianity was prohibited by law, was the adoptive son of a Shinto cleric Takuma Sawabe , a former samurai who was baptized among 2 other Japanese in the spring of 1868. ^[2] .

For half a century of service in Japan, she left her only twice: in 1869-1870 and in 1879-1880. In 1870, at his request, a Russian spiritual mission was opened in Japan with its center in Tokyo (since 1872 ^[3] ) - under the jurisdiction of the Kamchatka diocese . On March 17, 1880, by the definition of the Holy Synod, he was ordered to be Bishop of Revel, Vicar of the Diocese of Riga , with a secondment to Japan; March 30, 1880 in the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra was ordained bishop ^[4] .

In the process of missionary work about. Nicholas translated the Holy Scriptures , other liturgical books into Japanese , created a theological seminary , 6 theological schools for girls and boys, a library, a shelter, and other institutions. He published the Orthodox journal Church Bulletin in Japanese. According to the report of the Holy Synod, at the end of 1890 the Orthodox Church in Japan consisted of 216 communities and 18 625 Christians in them ^[4] .

On March 8, 1891, the Cathedral of the Resurrection Cathedral in Tokyo, called the Japanese Nikorai-do ( ニ コ ラ イ 堂 ), was consecrated.

During the Russo-Japanese War, he remained with his flock in Japan , but did not participate in public services, because according to the order of services (and the blessing of St. Nicholas of Japan), Japanese Christians prayed for their country's victory over Russia : “Today, as usual I serve in the cathedral, but from now on I will no longer take part in the public services of our church ... Until now, I prayed for the prosperity and peace of the Japanese Empire. Now, since the war has been declared between Japan and my homeland, I, as a Russian citizen, cannot pray for the victory of Japan over my own country. I also have obligations to my homeland and that is why I will be happy to see that you are fulfilling a duty in relation to your country ” ^[5] .

When Russian prisoners began to arrive in Japan (their total number reached 73 thousand people), Bishop Nikolai, with the consent of the Japanese government, formed the Society for Spiritual Consolation of Prisoners of War ^[6] . To feed the prisoners, he selected five priests who spoke Russian ^[7] . The prisoners were equipped with icons and books. Vladyka himself repeatedly addressed them in writing (Nicholas himself was not allowed into the prisoners).

March 24, 1906 was elevated to the rank of Archbishop of Tokyo and All Japan. In the same year, Kyoto Wikaria was founded.

After the death of Archbishop Nicholas, the Japanese Emperor Meiji personally gave permission to bury his remains within the city, at the Yanaka Cemetery.

• Order of St. Vladimir I degree
• Order of St. Alexander Nevsky with diamonds
• Order of St. Alexander Nevsky
• Order of St. Anne of I degree
• Order of St. Vladimir II degree

On April 10, 1970, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate, he was canonized. His service was written by Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod Nicodemus (Rotov) and published in 1978 ^[8] .

Troparion, voice 4

The Apostles is one-manded and siding, / the minister of Christ the faithful and the Most Merciful, / the ministry of the Holy Spirit, / who is overwhelming with love of Christ, / the world.

使徒 ( し と ) と 等 ( ひ と ) し く 同 座 ( ど う ざ ) な る 者 ( も の ) 忠實 ( ち ゅ う じ つ ) に し て 神智 ( し ん ち ) な る ハ リ ス ト ス の 役 者 ( え き し ゃ ) 聖 ( せ い ) な る 神 ﾟ ( し ん ) に 選 ( え ら ) ば れ た る 笛 ( ふ え ) ハ リ ス ト ス の 愛 ( あ い ) に 滿 ( み ) ち た る 器 ( う つ は ) 我 ( わ ) が 國 ( く に ) （ 日本 ( や ま と ) の 國 ( く に ) ） の 光照 者 ( く わ う せ う し ゃ ) 亞 使徒 ( あ し と ) 大主教 ( だ い し ゅ け う ) 聖 ( せ い ) ニ コ ラ イ よ 爾 ( な ん ぢ ) の 牧群 ( ぼ く ぐ ん ) の 爲 ( た め ) 及 ( お よ ) び 全世界 ( ぜ ん せ か い ) の 爲 ( た め ) に 生命 ( い の ち ) を 保 ( た も ) つ 生 三者 ( せ い さ ん し ゃ ) に 祷 ( い の ) り 給 ( た ま ) へ

In troparion, voice 4

Yako apostle partakers in trudeh and retribution / Church thee with love to read, / to St. Father Nicholas Equal to the Apostles. / Putting bo many feats beginning of Orthodoxy in Japan yazychestey, / multiplied wast in her offspring salvation, / and death of pleasing thee, God in the monastery of Apostle His according to the possession. / Thank you for praying / pray God bless you to remain undisturbed for ever, / and enter into the bosom of the Church Orthodox to die for all who have peace, / to reconcile / to be at peace.

Kondak, voice 4

Strangers and pilgrims pleasant cha country Japan, / Equal to the Apostles Saint Nicholas, / it is isperva knew Thou Me Thou chuzhdago, / obache warmth and light of Christ exuding, / It is proposed to art the enemy is in your children duhovnyya, / Whom Section grace of God, to build Thou Church To Christ, / now pray for her, / and you and her sons and daughters cry out: // rejoice, our good sister.

成 聖者 ( せ い せ い し ゃ ) 亞 使徒 ( あ し と ) ニ コ ラ イ よ 我 ( わ ) が 國 ( く に ) （ 日本 ( や ま と ) の 國 ( く に ) ） は 爾 ( な ん ぢ ) を 旅人 ( た び び と ) 及 ( お よ ) び 寄寓 者 ( き ぐ う し ゃ ) と し て 受 ( う ) け 爾 ( な ん ぢ ) も 初 ( は じ ) め 我 ( わ ) が 國 ( く に ) （ 日本 ( や ま と ) ） に て 己 ( お の れ ) を 他 所 者 ( よ そ も の ) と 知 ( し ) れ ど も ハ リ ス ト ス の 光 ( ひ か り ) と 暖 ( あ た ゝ ) か き を 流 ( な が ) し 爾 ( な ん ぢ ) の 敵 ( て き ) を 屬 神 ( ぞ く し ん ) の 子 ( こ ) に 變 ( か ) へ 彼等 ( か れ ら ) に 神 ( か み ) の 恩寵 ( お ん ち ょ う ) を 與 ( あ た ) へ ハ リ ス ト ス の 教會 ( け う か い ) を 築 ( き づ ) け り 今 ( い ま ) 我 ( わ ) が 教會 ( け う か い ) （ 其 ( そ の ) 日本 ( や ま と ) の 教會 ( け う か い ) ） の 爲 ( た め ) に 祷 ( い の ) り 給 ( た ま ) へ 蓋 ( け だ し ) 其 ( そ の ) 諸子 ( し ょ し ) は 爾 ( な ん ぢ ) に 呼 ( よ ) ぶ 我 ( わ ) が 善 ( よ ) き 牧者 ( ぼ く し ゃ ) よ 慶 ( よ ろ こ ) べ よ

In Condac, voice 2

Tverdago and the Divine Divine Preacher Evangelius, Lord, / rejoiced if God be merciful /, his labor and sickness were received more than all the sacrifices and burnt sacrifices.

• Archbishop Anthony (Melnikov) . Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Archbishop of Japan Nicholas. // Theological works , 1975, Sat.14
• O. V. Shatalov. St. Nicholas (Kasatkin) in the first period of the Russian Orthodox mission in Japan (1861-1875)
• Kedrov N. Archbishop Nikolai of Japan in letters to Archpriest N.V. Blagorazumov // Russian Archive. - SPb. , 1912 . - No. 3 . - S. 379-402 .
• Evgeny Steiner. “Nikolai of Japan” // Monumenta Nipponica , vol. 50, # 4, Tokyo, 1995, pp. 437-450.

• Nicholas of Japan, Saint, Equal- to -the-Apostles on the Russian Orthodoxy Website
• Mission in the country of the rising sun // Website Orthodoxy.Ru