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2024 Holy Resurrection Cathedral, or "Nicholai-do" in Tokyo

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The unique building is said to have been a landmark of Tokyo ever since it was inaugurated in 1891, as painted by a number of artists. I first learned of its existence long time ago through a painting by Kaii Higashiyama (overleaf) but, to my shame, I only saw the real cathedral when I visited there on purpose two years ago. Surrounded by bristling skyscrapers, I could take a view of the old landmark only from a spot at Koubaizaka Street, although I walked all around the surrounding roads. The bird’s eye photograph overleaf is that which was taken by Prof. Shigeru Shimizu, Nihon University, from the 19th floor of a nearby building.

     Saint Nikolai Kasatkin (1836 – 1912) first came to Hakodate, Hokkaido, in 1861 from Russia to propagate the Orthodox Faith when the Christianity was still prohibited by the Tokugawa Shogunate Government. Four years after the freedom of religion was restored by the Meiji Government, he came to Tokyo in 1872 and purchased a land in Kanda Surugadai Hill to found an Orthodox Church as the missionary base in the new capital of this country.

    The construction of the Cathedral imaged by Michael A. Shchurupov began in 1884 by Shimizu Gumi Company, Ltd. (the present Shimizu Corp.) on the ground of the church with the detailed design drawn by a famous English architect, Josiah Conder and finished in 1891 (see, the picture above) overcoming various difficulties. Nikolai Kasatkin was canonised in the Orthodox Church and given the title of Apostle.

    The finance for the construction as well as the activities of the church was supported by the Orthodox authorities in Russia but the remittance stopped after the occurrence of Russian Revolution as the Orthodox Church there itself suffered regulations from the communist government (I remember when I visited Moscow and happened to see an Orthodoxians’ procession in March 1989, nine months before the destruction of Berliner Wall, I heard from a student who guided me that such an event became practiced again in recent years tolerated by the city guards who themselves were Orthodoxians).

    The cathedral was seriously damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake but restored in 1927-29 with the design by Prof. Shin-ichiro Okada.
In 1962, The Agency of Cultural Affairs, Japan, designated the cathedral building a Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property.
Unfortunately, they said taking photographs in the interior was prohibited when I visited there.

    Amen

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1. History

Portrait of St Nikolai Kasatkin[1], who first came from Russia in 1861 to propagate the Orthodox faith.

The octagonal wrought iron dome frame (left) and the ground plan (right) designed by Josiah Conder, ca.1880 (Kyoto University Library)[2].

Left: Inaugurated 1891(Cathedral’s homepage)[3],

Right: Reconstructed after the Great Earthquake 1929 (Shimizu Corp’s homepage)[4].

2. The days when the cathedral was known as a landmark of Tokyo.

Left: “St. Nicholas Church in Snow”, Woodcut, by Unichi Hiratsuka 1930[5].

Right: “Nicholai-do”, Painting, by Kaii Higashiyama 1959[6].

3. The present cathedral

View from a point in the Koubaikzaka Street, photo by M. Iguchi 2022

Left: A view from the 400 m away Meiji University Liberty Tower 23F. March 2024 by Iguchi with Leica C-lux. Only a part of the cathedral was seen, obatructed by a tall building.

Right: A view from a 50 m away near-by building 19F. February 2024 by courtesy of Prof. Shigeru Shimizu, Nihon University.

4. Map

Left: Google Map, Right: Google Earth

5. Interior of the cathedral

An view from the Nikolai-do’s homepage[7]. Taking photographs was prohibited for public.

References