Login

Hakodate Episcopal Church

One of the 3 Churches in Motomachi

Hakodate St. John's Church, also known as Hakodate Episcopal Church, is under the administration of the Anglican Church of Japan. The church was founded in 1878 and was rebuilt in 1979, combining modern and medieval European church styles, with the brown cross-shaped roof as its symbol.

The Motomachi area is the church district of Hakodate, and there are three church buildings of different eras and styles on Both sides of the Daisanzaka Slope. One of them is the Hakodate St. John’s Church, and the other two are the Hakodate Orthodox Church and the Motomachi Roman Catholic Church.

Hakodate Orthodox Church

First Orthodox Church in Japan

Hakodate Orthodox Church was started in 1860 and is the birthplace of the Japanese Orthodox Church. The white-walled church was built in the Russian Byzantine style, with six bronze tower bells of a mellow tone, and paintings of the Iconostasis made by Russian painters.

Motomachi Roman Catholic Church

Altar Presented by Pope Benedict

Hakodate Motomachi Roman Catholic Church was started in 1859 and was destroyed by fire several times in its history, and was last rebuilt in 1923. The church has a 33-meter-high bell tower and is a typical Gothic-style building. The central altar and the Passion of Jesus statue inside the church were given by Pope Benedict XV.

Hakodate St. John’s Church, also known as Hakodate Episcopal Church, is under the administration of the Anglican Episcopal Church in Japan. 1874 Anglican overseas missionaries came to Hakodate for missionary work, and soon afterward, in 1878, Hakodate St. John’s Church was established as the first Anglican church in Hokkaido.

Manywhere Trivia:
Although the many denominations of Christianity are close and similar in faith, they have often been more at odds with each other than with each other over the centuries, it is a beautiful thing to see the churches of each denomination living next to each other in Hakodate.

The church has suffered several fires in its history, and was last rebuilt in 1979. St. John’s Church combines modern and medieval European ecclesiastical styles, with the Brown Cross-shaped Roof being its distinctive feature.

The space inside the church is small, with a chapel and sacristy in addition to the Main Altar. The irregular textures on the walls and the wooden crosses overhead blend modern art with religion.