Tokyo, September 13, 2018
For the first time since 1928, new bells are being installed at Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Tokyo.
As Archimandrite Gerasim (Shevtsov) told RIA-Novosti, the church was badly damaged during an earthquake in 1923 and the bell tower collapsed, destroying all the bells.
“The last time that bells were raised onto the church was exactly 90 years ago… After the church was restored, one bell that had been cast in Moscow in 1884 was brought from the church in Hakodate for the new bell tower, and five were cast in Poland on September 14, 1928,” Fr. Gerasim explained.
11 new bells in all are being installed.
“Have you ever heard the bell ringing in Rostov or at the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra?” Fr. Gerasim asked. “Well, for us it has been kind of sad until now. Our bell set was very humble, and the ringing at Nikolai-do left much to be desired. Therefore, we invited the bell ringer from the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, Igumen Anthony (Zinin) last year; he listened and said we needed 11 more bells for normal ringing.”
The bells were cast in February in Yaroslavl with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Daniel of Tokyo and All Japan. The bells were paid for by Gregory and Galina Hattori who left money to the Japanese Orthodox Church in their will in 1969.
A moleben was served today for the consecration of the new bells before they began to be lifted into the bell tower.
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