By Mark Saludes
TOKYO, Japan – Tsukiji Church, a cornerstone of Catholic heritage in Tokyo, celebrated its 150th anniversary with a Thanksgiving Mass on Jun 30, presided over by Archbishop Isao Kikuchi.
Known also as the Old Cathedral of St Joseph, it stands as the first Catholic church in Tokyo, Japan.
Established in November 1874 by the Paris Foreign Missions Society, a Roman Catholic missionary organization, the church initially served as the cathedral for the bishop of Tokyo, marking the seat of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Japan.
With the establishment of the Archdiocese of Tokyo in 1891, Tsukiji Church functioned as the cathedral until 1920, after which the cathedral status was transferred to Sekiguchi Church (St. Mary’s Cathedral).
The church was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and subsequently rebuilt in 1927. Its design, inspired by St. Madeleine Cathedral in Paris, mirrors the classical structure of an ancient Greek temple, with a facade featuring six Doric columns and a gable adorned with carvings of lilies and roses. On June 1, 1999, Tsukiji Church was recognized as one of Tokyo’s historical buildings.
In his homily, Archbishop Kikuchi noted that the Tsukiji Church was founded during a period when it was still difficult for Christians to operate freely, highlighting that it was only in 1873 that the ban against Christianity was lifted.
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