Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church of Hakodate Audio Guide

Hakodate Orthodox Church: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church

   Welcome to the Motomachi district of Hakodate, where a white-walled church with green roofs has been watching over the port town for more than a century. This is Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church, known locally as Hakodate Harisutosu Seikyokai. Its sanctuary is formally called the Cathedral of the Lord's Resurrection, named in memory of the resurrection of Christ. This is no ordinary landmark. The church is regarded as the birthplace of the Orthodox Church in Japan, and it belongs to the Orthodox Church in Japan's Eastern Japan diocese, which covers Hokkaido and the Tohoku region. It is among the oldest churches in the country, dating back to the earliest days of Orthodox mission work there. Over the next few minutes we will follow its story: a Russian consulate chapel, a young priest with a grand ambition, a fire that wiped out the first building, and the bells that Hakodate people have loved so much that they gave the church a nickname. Take a moment to look at the white walls against the green roofs, and let's begin.

2. 02

   Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church: A Consulate Chapel Is Born

   The story starts with diplomacy. Russia treated the Orthodox Church as its state religion, so whenever it opened a consulate abroad, it built a church and sent a priest. In 1858 the first Russian consul, Goshkevich, arrived in Hakodate, and a priest named Ioann came with him to serve the consulate. That priest soon fell ill and returned home. The ground you are standing on matters too. In 1859 Goshkevich secured the plot for the Russian consulate on the site where the church stands today. The following year, 1860, the first chapel was built here as the consulate's own church. That makes this hillside spot an address with more than 160 years of continuous religious history. The church's name tells you how it is organized. Hakodate Harisutosu Seikyokai is the name of the congregation, while the Cathedral of the Lord's Resurrection is the formal name of the building itself. Harisutosu is simply the Japanese rendering of the Greek form of the word Christ.

3. 03

   Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church and the Young Priest Nicholas

   In June 1861 a young priest named Nicholas, later known as Saint Nicholas, arrived in Hakodate to serve the consulate. He could have simply looked after the diplomats, but he had a far larger dream: to bring the Orthodox faith to Japan. So he began studying Japanese language, history, religion and customs. Some local people began visiting him. In April 1868, during the era when Christianity was still banned, three men were secretly baptized in a room of the priest's residence: Pavel Sawabe Takuma, Ioann Sakai Atsurei and Iakov Urano Daizo. Their baptisms were the first fruits of the Hakodate congregation, and they also mark the birth of the Orthodox Church in Japan. In 1872 Nicholas moved to Tokyo to spread the faith across the whole country, and the monk-priest Anatolii took over in Hakodate. Nicholas's work grew around the great Nikolai-do cathedral in Kanda, Tokyo, yet Hakodate has always kept its place as the church where it began.

4. 04

   Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church: Fire, Rebuilding and Bells

   The first church did not survive. In 1907 the Great Fire of Hakodate burned the sanctuary to the ground. In 1916 the second church, the one you see today, was completed on the same site. Its style is Russian Byzantine, and in 1983 it was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Look up at the roof. Six small domes, called cupolas, each carry a cross, and these crosses differ from the familiar shape. Each has a short crossbar and a slanted one. Tradition explains the short bar as the plaque bearing the charge against Christ, and the slanted bar as a reminder of the two thieves crucified beside him. One repented at the end and was received into paradise, the other did not. The slant, with the right side raised and the left lowered, expresses exactly that. Then there are the bells. Their sound is listed among the One Hundred Soundscapes of Japan, and locals affectionately call the church Gangan-dera, roughly the temple of the clanging bells. Its image is even used on the city's country signs, the road signs that mark the entrances to Hakodate.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Before you move on, step back and take in the whole picture. The white walls and green roofs make a striking contrast, and with the sea behind it the church is one of the most photographed views in Hakodate. A major restoration project ran from the start of 2021 to the end of 2022, so the building you see has been carefully looked after for the future. This stretch of Motomachi is also home to a small cluster of churches. Walk a little way and you reach the Catholic Motomachi Church, Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church and Hakodate Saint John's Church within reach of one another. Each has its own story, and together they are a big part of why this neighborhood feels so international. If you are here on a weekend, keep an ear open for the bells rolling out over the rooftops toward the harbor. Hear them for yourself, then ask: what would it have sounded like to arrive here as a young priest in 1861?