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{{church|name= Orthodox Church in Japan|founder= St. [[Nicholas of Japan]]|independence= 1970 |recognition= 1970 by [[Church of Russia|Russia]] |primate=[[Daniel (Nushiro) of Japan|Archbishop Daniel]]|hq=Tokyo, Japan|territory=Japan|possessions=—|language=Japanese|music=[[Russian Chant]]|calendar=[[Julian Calendar|Julian]]|population=10,000[http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4939]|website=[http://www.orthodoxjapan.jp/ Church of Japan]}}The '''Church of Japan''' (日本ハリストス正教会) is an [[autonomy|autonomous]] Orthodox church, whose [[primate]] is confirmed by the [[Church of Russia]].

St. [[Nicholas of Japan]] ([[baptism|baptized ]] as Ivan Dimitrievich Kasatkin) brought Orthodoxy to Japan in the 19th Century. In 1861 he was sent by the [[Church of Russia]] to Hakodate, Hokkaido , as a [[priest ]] to a chapel of the Russian consulate. Though the contemporary Shogun's government prohibited the Japanese [[conversion ]] to Christianity, soon some neighbors who frequently visited the chapel . In April 1868, among them three converted—-- Nicholas'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. {{orthodoxyinjapan}}Apart from brief trips, Nicholas stayed in Japan, even during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), and spread Orthodoxy nationwide, being appointed as the first [[bishop]] of Church of Japan. Nicholas founded the Cathedral of Tokyo in Kanda district and spent over fifty years of his life there; hence [[Holy Resurrection Cathedral (Tokyo, Japan)]] was nicknamed ''Nikolai-do'' by Kanda citizens.

Apart from brief tripsThe early mission to establish the Japanese Orthodox Church depended on the Russian Orthodox Church, Nicholas stayed especially in financial matters. The war between Russia and Japancreated a politically difficult situation for the church. After the Bolshevik Revolution, even during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)government had new suspicions about the Japanese Orthodox Church, and spread Orthodoxy nationwidein particular, being appointed that it was used as the first a cover for communist Russian espionage. The second bishop of Church Japan, [[Metropolitan]] [[Sergius (Tikhomirov) of Japan. Nicholas founded the Cathedral of Tokyo in Kanda district |Sergius (Tikhomirov)]], suffered severely from such governmental suspicion, and spent the majority of the last half of he was forced to resign his life there, hence episcopacy and died under strange circumstances on [[Tokyo Resurrection CathedralAugust 10]] was nicknamed ''Nikolai-do'' by Kanda citizens, 1945, five days before the end of the war. The Russian Church similarly suffered from Stalinist policy and had no ability to help the young church in Japan.

The early mission During the Fifteen Years War (1930-1945), which from 1939 to establish 1945 was part of World War II, Christianity in Japan suffered under severe conditions, the Japanese Orthodox Church depended on especially. As early as the last years of Abp. Nicholas' life, the church administration considered consecration of a Japanese to the episcopacy. While over the Russian Orthodox Churchfollowing decades various candidates were considered, especially in financial mattersnone were formally nominated for various reasons. The war between Russia and Japan created a politically difficult situation for the churchchanged in 1939 when the Diet of Japan enacted legislation requiring government registration of churches. After The registration process meant foreigners could not serve in positions of authority within the [[Bolshevik Revolution]]church, although the legislation itself did not prohibit non-Japanese government had new suspicions about from such positions. Throughout 1940, the church leadership divided over how to satisfy the Japanese Orthodox Churchlaw, in particularand Metr. Sergius was "retired". As the factions endorsed various candidates, that it was used as a cover for communist one group had approached representatives of [[Russian espionage. The second bishop Orthodox Church Outside of JapanRussia]] (ROCOR), Metropolitan and quickly elected the [[Sergii Archpriest]] [[Nicholas (TikhomirovOno) of Japan|Sergii (Tikhomirov)John Ono]] for consecration as a bishop. Fr. John and his wife Vera traveled to Manchuria where both took [[monasticism|monastic]], suffered severely from such governmental suspicion, vows and he Fr. John was forced to resign his episcopacyconsecrated bishop with the name Nicholas on [[April 6]], 1941. The disagreement between the two major factions continued throughout the war. <ref>Masatoshi John Shoji, ''The Russian Orthodox Church similarly suffered from Stalinist policy and had no ability to help the young church in of Japan., 1912-1954: A Time of Troubles'', Master's Thesis, St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, New York, May 2007</ref>

During the Fifteen Years War (1930-1945), which from 1939 to 1945 was part of World War II, Christianity in Japan suffered under severe conditions, the Orthodox Church especially. After the Japanese surrender, the Allied occupation had a generous attitude to Christianity, given its predominantly American composition. Control over the Church of Japan by the Soviet dominated Church of Russia was forestalled by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers through the efforts of Colonel [[Boris T. Pash]], who was the son of Metr. [[Theophilus (Pashkovsky) of San Francisco|Theodosius (Pashkovsky)]] of the American Metropolia.<ref>Pash, Boris T., "Checkmate!," The American Legion Magazine, April, 1958, pp14-15, 42-43.</ref> 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 American Metropolia, the precursors of the [[Orthodox Church in America]] (OCA) helped re-establish the Japanese Orthodox Church, and since 1946 Archbishops appointed by the American Metropolia ruled the Church of Japan. In that time, several youth who studied at the OCA's [[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary]] in New York are now the leaders of Japanese Orthodox Church. While a minority, under the leadership of Bp. [[Nicholas (Saiama)|Nicholas]] aligned itself with the Moscow Patriarchate, and were known as the "Russian Podvorye Orthodox Church in Japan".

Later, as the situation of the Russian Orthodox Church improved, the Japanese Orthodox Church came under their the leadership of the [[Church of Russia]] again. In 1970 [[Nicholas of Japan|Nikolai Kasatkin]] was glorified by the Patriarch of Moscow and is recognized as St. Nikolai, [[Apostle ]] to Japan. His commemoration day is [[February 16]]. In 2000 , the Russian Orthodox Church canonized [[Glorification|glorified]] Bishop [[Andronic (Nikolsky) Andronik of KyotoPerm|Andronic (Nikolsky)]] as a [[saint]] and [[martyr]]. He was appointed the first bishop of Kyoto and later martyred as the [[archbishop ]] of Permi Perm during the [[Bolshevik Revolution|Russian Revolution]].

==The Today the Russian Podvorye and the Church of Japan Today==The current primate are reconciled and in so good terms that the former remembers both the Patriarch of Moscow and the Church Metropolitan of All Japan is in their liturgy, and that they commemorate a [[Daniel (Nushiro) of Japan|Daniel (Nushiro)molieben]], the Metropolitan of Japan and Archbishop in honor of TokyoSt. Nikolai on his feast day.

==External linkHierarchy=====Diocesan bishops===*[http://www2.gol.com/users/ocj/ Japanese Orthodox Church[Daniel (Nushiro) of Japan|Daniel (Nushiro)] Official Site ], Archbishop of Tokyo, Metropolitan of All Japan* [[Seraphim (Japanese/EnglishTsujie)of Sendai|Seraphim (Tsujie)]], Bishop of Sendai and Eastern Japan

==References==<references/> ==See also==*[[List of Metropolitans of Japan]]*[[List of parishes in Japan]]* [[Coptic Orthodox Church in Japan]] ==External links== * [http://www.orthodoxjapan.jp/ Japanese Orthodox Church] Official Site (Japanese) *[http://www.orthodoxjapan.jp/daishukyou.html Diocese of Tokyo (Integrated into Japan website)] (Japanese)*[https://www.orthodox-sendai.com/ Diocese of Eastern Japan Website] (Japanese)*[http://www.orthodox-jp.com/westjapan/ Diocese of Western Japan Website] (Japanese)*[http://www.geocities.jp/ynicojp2/japan-orthodox-sitemap.html All Japan Parish Listing - Unofficial] (Japanese) *[http://www.orthodox-jp.com/maria/English-index.htm The Orthodox Church Singing in Japan]* [http://www.cnewa.org/default.aspx?ID=31&pagetypeID=9&sitecode=HQ&pageno=1 Eastern Christian Churches: Orthodox Church of Japan] by Ronald Roberson, a [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] priest and scholar* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaxtIQBz7uo&eurl= Videos of a Japanese Orthodox liturgy in Yokohama on YouTube]*[http://www.geocities.jp/christianos_orthodoxos/ Orthodox Bibliography in Japanese] by Paul Yuichi Nakanishi, Eastern Orthodox deacon and scholar*[http://www.sam.hi-ho.ne.jp/podvorie/ Podvorye in Japan] In Russian*[http://www.japancopticchurch.org/ Coptic Orthodox Church in Japan] {{churches}} [[Category:Jurisdictions|Japan]] [[ro:Biserica Ortodoxă a Japoniei]]