This is the Annunciation Cathedral in Kyoto:
This church was built in 1901 under the supervision of the architect, Matsumuro Shigemitsu, a student of ancient shrines and temples (Kyoto-fu Koshaji 京都府小謝辞故社寺), and was consecrated by St. Nikolai of Japan, in 1903.
The timber structure is believed to be the oldest example of Russian Byzantine architecture.
A beautiful iconostasis adorns the interior.
It is a Kyoto City Designated Cultural Asset.
It is the cathedral church of the western diocese of the Autonomous Orthodox Church in Japan, of which primate bishop is His Eminence Metropolitan Daniel of All Japan.
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The Orthodox mission in the Kyoto district can be traced back to the1880 (Meiji 13), when public sermons were delivered in Taiza and Mineyama by Pavel Nakakouji (an Orthodox catechist and a native of Taiza (Tango region, Hyogo Prefecture) dispatched to Tokushima), as he was returning to his hometown.
In 1889 (Meiji 22), a lecture hall was founded in the central district of the city, at Oshikouji-douri, Takakura, Nishiiru. Kirill Sasaba (Masakichi) was dispatched as a full-time catechist and commenced propagation, temporarily under the supervision of Fr. Ioann Ono (Shogoro), the presiding priest of the Osaka church.
From 1890 to 1893 (Meiji 23-26) Russian Hieromonk Sergii (Stragorodsky; subsequently Patriarch of All Russia; Archimandrite Sergii is famous for his “Hokkaido Travel Notes” (Hokkaido Junkaiki)), in his mid-twenties, spent three years engaged in pastoral work in Kyoto.
1894 (Meiji 27) saw the arrival of the new head of the Kyoto mission, Fr. Simeon Mii (Michiro), with the purchase of the present grounds of the church in Yanagi-no-Banba, Doori-Nijo Agaru (site of the old Kyoto Noh Theatre) following in 1897 (Meiji 30).
Here, in December, 1901 (Meiji 34), following the design of a Kyoto engineer, Matsumuro Shigemitsu, the present house of worship, the Church of Annunciation, was erected. In May, 1903 (Meiji 36), Bishop Nikolai visited the new church and blessed it with his prayers.
The Kyoto Orthodox Women’s School was established at the same time, as an annex to the church, and put under the supervision of Nadezhda Takahashi (Ine), who had been dispatched from Tokyo.
In 1906 (Meijji 39) Hieromonk Andronik (Nikol’skii) served for 3 months as Bishop of Kyoto in order to aid Bishop Nikolay. (In 1918, he was executed by the Soviet troops; and was canonized in 2000 by the Russian Orthodox Church as one of the new Russian Holy Hieromartyrs, Bishop of Perm).
Bishop Sergei (Tikhomirov) became Metropolitan of Japan after the repose of Bishop Nikolai, and upon his arrival to Japan in 1908 (Meiji 41), also received the nominal title of the Bishop of Kyoto.
After Fr. Andrei Metoki (Kingo)’s years of service as presiding priest, the arrival of Fr. Vissarion Takahashi (Choshichi), in 1932 (Showa 7), signaled the onset of the troubled era of militarism and war.
While this church was saved from the ravages of war, at the end of WWII it was earmarked for destruction in order to clear firebreaks in the city. Fortunately, these planswere not carried through.
The successive priests presiding over the Kyoto church have been Fr. Grigorii Naito (Mitsuo), Fr. Vasilii Sakai (Mitsuru), Fr. Iakov Hibi (Yoshio), and Fr. Mark Koike (Hiroyuki).
In 1986 (Showa 61) the church building was designated as a “tangible cultural property” by the Kyoto Metropolitan Administration, and in 1987 (Showa 62) a general program of restoration was commenced with a complete re-roofing of the church with copper sheets.
The church is located in the “University District” of Kyoto, and researchers and students from various Orthodox countries have joined the parish in its prayers.
In May 2000 (Heisei 12), Patriarch Aleksei of the Russian Orthodox Church paid a visit to the church.
Address: 6-283, Yanagi-no-banba, Dori-Nijo Agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City. (604-0965)
Tel.: 07-5231-2453 (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
Presiding Priest: Fr. Ioan Ono (Sadaharu)
E-mail: ocj_kyoto@yahoo.co.jp
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