Russians in Japan

The first recorded landing of Russians in Japan ( _ja. 在日ロシア人 "Zai-Nichi Roshia-jin") was in 1739 in Kamogawa, Chiba during the times of Japanese seclusion of the Edo period, not counting landings in Hokkaidō, which was not under Japanese administration at these times.

Russian Missions

"From the public domain Catholic Encyclopedia."

The Russian Mission, or Orthodox Church of Russia in Japan, dates from 1861. A hospital had been previously built at Hakodate for Russians and Japanese. The Rev. Nikolai Kasatkin (later St Nicholas of Japan), was attached to it as chaplain with a church near the hospital. The hospital having been destroyed by fire, the church remained, and Nicholas stayed as a missionary, at Hakodate, where he baptized a number of Japanese; this was the beginning. In 1870 the Russian minister to Japan obtained from the Japanese the grant of a special territory as a branch of the Russian legation, which territory was at Surugadai at the very centre of Tokyo and one of the most advantageous sites in the capital. Here Fr Nicholas established his residence and the centre of the Orthodox Church. He began by training well-instructed men and native assistants, for which purpose he had an ordinary college and a school of philosophy and theology; later on he also had a special school for young women. He preached his religion by means of carefully trained catechists and priests. Since 1881 he has also had a religious review, published twice monthly, and a publication committee installed at his house has published all the most necessary books. In 1886 Fr Nicholas was consecrated bishop in Russia, and in 1890 he completed the erection of his cathedral, a truly magnificent monument, one of the sights of the capital.

Bishop Nicholas enjoys a great personal esteem; for the most part alone, he has founded and governed by himself everything pertaining to his mission. During the Russo-Japanese War the situation was very delicate, but the Christians, at least the greater number of them, did not abandon him. Even during this time he continued all his undertakings unmolested, his house being guarded without by Japanese soldiers. Previously he received from the Holy Synod 95,000 yen yearly, but since the Russo-Japanese War, these and other resources from Russia have greatly diminished, while on the other hand the price of everything in Japan has increased. The bishop was compelled to diminish also his expenses, to dismiss a part of his staff, and to exhort the Christians to contribute more generously to support their church.

But after the victories of the Japanese over the Russian armies it is not easy to conceive of even the Japanese, though Christians, as members of a church hitherto supported by the Russian government. That is why the leaders among these Christians, after having agreed among themselves, declared to Archbishop Nicholas their intention of being supported entirely by themselves and being independent of Russia. And as Russia has its national church they wished to have also their Japanese National Church (June, 1909).

Little has been written concerning the work of the Russians in Japan; even in Russia almost nothing has been published. According to one Protestant reckoning, the Orthodox church numbered 30,166 baptized Christians; according to another only 13,000 (the last figure denotes perhaps those who are practical). There were 37 native priests and 139 catechists. Expenses for church and evangelization in 1907 amounted to 55,279 yen; contributions of Christians, 10,711 yen; Churches or places of preaching, 265. Among the Russians, as among Protestants, and in fact everywhere throughout Japan, the tendency of mind is toward independence.

Russian Revolution

After the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War, about 2,000,000 Russian refugees who did not accept the Bolshevik rule entered mostly the United States and Europe. Some of them settled in the Home Islands of Japan. Traditionally these refugees have been known as White Russians, with the corresponding Japanese term being "Hakkei-Roshiajin". In fact, this term has been applied to all former residents of the former Russian Empire.

Initially the majority of them lived in Tokyo and Yokohama. After the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923 a significant number of them moved to Kobe.

Modern times

As of 2005, the statistics of Japanese government reported 37,000 Russians enter Japan yearly on average, not counting temporary landing permits of seamen and tourists. The number of Russians that stay in Japan longer than 90 days (the maximal duration of a temporary visa in Japan) is about 6,000.

ee also

*Nikolay Rezanov, the first Russian ambassador in Japan
*Victor Starffin, Russian-born Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
*Koji Ota, former professional baseball player
*Ivan Goncharov
*Japanese language education in Russia

References

*Catholic
* Sawada Kazuhiko, "Nihon ni okeru hakkei-Roshia-jin no bunka-teki eikyo" ("Cultural impact of White Russians in Japan"), in Naganawa Mitsuo and Sawada Kazuhiko, eds., "Ikyo ni ikiru — Rai-Nichi Roshia-jin no sokuseki" ("Living in a foreign land: Traces of Russian residents in Japan") (Yokohama, 2001), 31–46; Zai Honpo gaikokujin ni kansuru tokei chosa zakken (Miscellaneous statistical data on foreign residents in Japan, vol. 1, K–3–7–0–15, Diplomatic Record Office, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

External links

* [http://www.russiantokyo.jp Russian Tokyo community]
* [http://restoran.us/japan/japan.htm Russian restaurants in Japan]