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Equal-to-the-Apostles19th century

Nicholas Enlightener of Japan

1836 – 1912

Also known as Nicholas of Japan · Nikolai Kasatkin · Nicholas Kasatkin

A Russian priest-monk who in 1861 began missionary work in Japan, founding the Orthodox Church there, translating the Scriptures and services into Japanese, and serving as its first archbishop; he reposed in 1912.

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Nicholas, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Archbishop of Japan

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Missionary Work

Life

Saint Nicholas, Enlightener of Japan, was born Ivan Dmitrovich Kasatkin on 1 August 1836 in the Smolensk province of the Russian Empire, the son of a Russian Orthodox deacon. His mother died when he was five years old. He entered the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg in 1857, and on 24 June 1860 was tonsured a monk with the name Nicholas by the academy rector, Bishop Nectarius. He was ordained hierodeacon and hieromonk on the following days, 29 and 30 June 1860.

In 1861 he travelled to Japan as a priest attached to the chapel of the Russian consulate, landing at Hakodate on Hokkaido on 2 July. Over the following half-century he learned Japanese, translated the Scriptures and divine services into the language, gathered and organized a native Orthodox community, and built it into an established local Church. Consecrated bishop in 1880 and elevated to archbishop, he reposed in Tokyo in 1912 and was glorified in 1970 with the title Equal-to-the-Apostles.

Kontakion & Troparion4 hymnsReadHide
KontakionTone 4

O Hierarch Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles,
the country of Japan received you as a sojourner and an alien.
At first you regarded yourself as a stranger,
but by pouring forth the warmth and light of Christ, you changed your enemies into spiritual sons,
and by imparting the grace of God to them, you established the Church of Christ;
and now pray for your sons and daughters that they may cry out,
“Rejoice, our good shepherd.”

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

KontakionTone 2

(Podoben: “The steadfast…”) As God You rewarded the steadfast and divinely eloquent preacher of Your Gospel, O Lord;
for You preferred his labors and illnesses to all the sacrifices and whole-burnt offerings of the Law.
By his prayers, preserve us from evils.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 4

You shared in the ways of the Apostles and sat upon their throne,
O faithful and divinely-wise servant of Christ,
chosen harp of the divine Spirit, vessel over­flowing with the love of Christ,
and Enlightener of Japan, O Holy Hierarch Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles,
entreat the Life-Giving Trinity on behalf of all your flock, and for the entire world.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 4

As a colleague of the Apostles in their labors and rewards,
the Church honors you with love, O Holy Hierarch Nicholas Equal of the Apostles.
For having laid the foundation of the beginning of Orthodoxy in pagan Japan by your many deeds,
you increased the number of those who are saved;
and as is meet, after your death God received you into the abode of His Apostles.
Therefore we beseech you:
“Pray to the Lord that your work may continue to abide unshakably for eternity,
and that all those doomed to perdition may enter the bosom of the Orthodox Church,
for the peace of the world and for the salvation of our souls.”

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline10 momentsReadHide
  1. 1836BirthBorn Ivan Dmitrovich Kasatkin on 1 August in the Smolensk province, son of a Russian Orthodox deacon.
  2. 1857Theological AcademyEntered the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg.
  3. 1860Monastic tonsure and ordinationTonsured a monk on 24 June with the name Nicholas; ordained hierodeacon and hieromonk on 29 and 30 June.
  4. 1861Arrival in JapanLanded at Hakodate, Hokkaido, on 2 July as a priest of the Russian consulate chapel.
  5. 1870Mission to TokyoMade archimandrite and relocated the missionary center to Tokyo.
  6. 1880Episcopal consecrationConsecrated bishop on 30 March.
  7. 1891Resurrection CathedralPresided over the consecration of the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Tokyo, known as Nikolai-do.
  8. 1907Archbishop of All JapanElevated to Archbishop by the Russian Orthodox Holy Synod.
  9. 1912ReposeReposed in Tokyo on 3 February (16 February O.S.), aged 75.
  10. 1970GlorificationGlorified on 10 April by Patriarch Alexis I as Equal-to-the-Apostles.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributionsReadHide

Missionary work in Japan

Arriving at Hakodate in 1861, Nicholas devoted his first years to mastering the Japanese language, which he is said to have spoken fluently by 1868. His early converts included Paul Sawabe, a former samurai and Shinto priest, remembered as the first Orthodox Japanese, who later became a priest. Conversions came amid official persecution in the early 1870s.

In 1870 Nicholas relocated the missionary center to Tokyo, where by 1873 he had established a church and a school for fifty people, and in late 1877 he founded a periodical, The Church Herald. The community grew steadily: by 1870 it numbered more than four thousand, and by the end of his life it counted some 33,000 faithful in 266 communities, served by a small body of native clergy.

Translation and institutions

Nicholas undertook an extensive program of translation, rendering liturgical books and portions of the Bible into Japanese, including the complete New Testament, the Psalms, and portions of Genesis and Isaiah. He also made notable contributions to church singing in Japan.

Beyond translation he built up the institutional life of the Church, establishing a theological seminary, primary schools, a library, and a shelter.

The Russo-Japanese War

During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905 Nicholas remained in Japan with his Japanese flock while aiding Russian prisoners of war. His conduct during the conflict was recognized in his subsequent elevation, by the Russian Orthodox Holy Synod, to the dignity of Archbishop.

Companions3 figuresShowHide
The apostle of Alaska and Siberia, a fellow missionary hierarch.
Innocentof Alaska
Whom he ordained the first Chinese Orthodox priest; martyred in the Boxer uprising.
Hieromartyr Metrophanes Changof Peking
The Serbian-American missionary who met him on his travels across the Pacific.
Venerable Sebastian Dabovich
Related Saints1 saintShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

An apostle of the same missionary age, in America as he in Japan.
Raphaelof Brooklyn

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Feb 3