旧手賀教会堂 Old Tega Church

Sunday’s weather was warm and sunny, so in the afternoon, I rode out to 手賀沼 Tega Marsh and the river to the east called 手賀川 Tega River, which connects to　利根川 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 – 旧手賀教会堂　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,

 明治6年、信教の自由が交付されるとともに、ニコライ大司教により日本ハリストス正教会の布教活動が北海道函館より始まりました。 千葉県には明治8年法典(船橋市)、同10年大森・船穂(印西市)、布佐(我孫子市)にそれぞれ教会が設置されました。
“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.”

大森教会での布教を知った手賀、布瀬地区の人々は、明治12年に教会を創立し活動をはじめ、同16年に教会堂を設置しました。 これが現在の旧手賀教会堂で、明治30年頃聖堂部分が増築されています。旧手賀教会堂は、首都圏近郊では現存する最古の教会堂となっています。

“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. ” (my translation) 

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.