Old Tega Church - Tegakyoukaido, the 1st Orthodox Christian church in the Tokyo region by St. Nicholas Kasatkin of Japan (+1912)
The oldest church in the Tokyo region is the Tegakyoukaido, an Eastern Orthodox church erected in 1881 or 1883 from an old farm house moved here to this spot close to Kashiwa, in Chiba prefecture, by Saint
Nicholas, Archbishop of Japan, born Ivan Dimitrovich Kasatkin (1836-1912).https://twitter.com/wrathofgnon/status/1179346177654956039
Old Tega Church
Sunday’s weather was warm and sunny, so in the afternoon, I rode out to Tega Marsh and the river to the east called Tega River, which connects to Tone River, the boundary between Chiba and Ibaraki Prefectures.
The cycling road on the south side of Teganuma carries on at the river, and at the second bridge I turned right towards the south, up a hillside and back in time. The farmhouses are large, the rice paddies and kitchen gardens are wide, and life is slow. I was on a Sunday ride to go to church – Old Tegakyoukaido, the oldest Christian church in the city. On the way up, I passed a temple, a cemetery, some elderly farm women resting in the sun, and many black-tiled roofs.
I learned about the old church from the Kashiwa City catalogue of cultural properties. There it says,
“In the 6th year of the Meiji Period, religious freedom was granted, and Archbishop Nikolai of the Japanese Orthodox Church was permitted to begin its activities in Hakodate, Hokkaido. In the 8th year of the Meiji Period, churches were established in what is now Funabashi, Abiko and Inzai Cities.”
“Through the missionary activities of the Oomori Church to the people of Fuse District, a mission was started in Meiji 12, and the church built in Meiji 16. The current church building includes an additional building constructed in Meiji 30. The Old Tega Church is recognized as the oldest church in the Tokyo suburban area. ”
The old regnal years are indicated in the original – Meiji 8 was the year 1875, and Meiji 12 was 1879.
Under the eaves of the thatch roof and the typical rustic beams, there are two arched windows, a hint at the purpose of this old building.
There is a newer church building a short distance from Old Tega Church, and when I approached it from the bottom of the hill, I could see the Orthodox cross on the gable end. When I rounded the driveway, I was greeted by a mutt who loudly defended his territory. From what I could gather, the new church was on private land as there were farm vehicles and no sign to indicate a church.
An old farmer drying his produce in the sun greeted me, and told me that the new church no longer opened its doors. He beckoned the mutt and the mutt turned out to be as friendly as the old man. I thanked him for his time and made my way along narrow country tracks past rice paddies until I got to the national route that leads back to central Kashiwa.
Since the church is open for public viewing on Wednesdays and Saturdays, I think I’ll go back to church when the school holiday begins and I have more time.
https://oakenglish.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/旧手賀教会堂-old-tega-church/
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