Father Anatoly Tikhai was a
hieromonk
A hieromonk,; Church Slavonic, Slavonic: ''Иеромонахъ''; ; ; ; ; Albanian language, Albanian: ''Hieromurg'' also called a priestmonk, is a person who is both monk and Priest#Roman Catholic and Orthodox, priest in the Eastern Christianity ...
who went to
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
in the early 1870s to assist Fr. Nicholas in his missionary work in Japan. Initially, the future St.
Nicholas of Japan
Nicholas (Kasatkin), Equal-to-the-Apostles, Archbishop of Japan, born Ivan Dmitrovich Kasatkin (; – 16 February 1912) was a Russian Orthodox priest, monk, and bishop. He introduced the Eastern Orthodox Church to Japan.''"Святый Н ...
assigned Fr. Anatoly to his original church in
Hakodate
is a Cities of Japan, city and seaports of Japan, port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 househol ...
on
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
island in northern Japan. During his years in Japan before he returned to Russia due to illness,
Archimandrite
The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...
Anatoly organized and taught schools in Hakodate and
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
as well as serving as dean of the language school and organizing the
Tokyo Orthodox Seminary in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
.
Life
Fr. Anatoly was originally from
Bessarabia
Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...
. He was born 23 November 1839 in
Tărăsăuţi, Hotin district (later known as
Khotinsky Uyezd
Khotinsky County () was an uezd, one of the subdivisions of the Bessarabia Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the northwestern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Khotyn (''Khotin'').
Demographics
At the time ...
) in the northern part of Moldova (Bessarabia). He graduated from
Chişinău Theological Seminary and from
Kiev Theological Academy
The Kiev Theological Academy (1819—1919) was one of the oldest higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, situated in Kiev, then in the Russian Empire (now Kyiv, Ukraine). It was considered as the most senior one among simila ...
. He lived on
Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism.
The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...
for four years before he was assigned to assist Fr. Nicholas with his mission work in Japan.
The hieromonk Anatoly arrived in Japan during December 1871 while Fr. Nicholas' activities were still centered in Hakodate. After reviewing the status of the missionary effort in Japan with Fr. Anatoly, Fr. Nicholas assigned Fr. Anatoly to the existing
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
at Hakodate, thus continuing the community that had formed there. This allowed Fr. Nicholas to move his activities to Edo (Tokyo).
In 1873, Fr. Anatoly established the Motomachi Orthodox Primary School in Hakodate where he taught for the next seven years. By 1880, the school had an enrollment of 300. In 1880, Fr. Anatoly was raised to the rank of Archimandrite and also was called by Bp. Nicholas to come to the Kanda Surugadai headquarters in Tokyo to become the dean of the language school and the newly organized
seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
. Here he taught theology to the seminarians and assisted Bp. Nicholas. As the Mission expanded, Fr. Anatoly was assigned in 1882 to organize a mission school in Osaka.
In the late 1880s Archimandrite Anatoly's health began to fail, and in the summer of 1890 he returned to Russia where he reposed in 1893.
See also
*
Yakov Tikhai
External links
MISIONARI ŞI APOSTOLI ORTODOCŞI ROMÂNI ÎN JAPONIA SECOLULUI XIX
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tikhai, Anatoly
1839 births
1893 deaths
People from Chernivtsi Oblast
Athonite Fathers
Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox missionaries
Romanian Christian missionaries
Romanian expatriates in Japan
Orthodox Church in Japan
Christian missionaries in Japan
Kiev Theological Academy alumni
People from Khotinsky Uyezd