Participation in the All-Russian Local Council 1917–1918. the only delegate from Japan

Abstract

The article is devoted to participation in the All-Russian Church Council 1917–1918. the sole representative of the Japanese diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church archpriest Simeon Mii. In preparation for the convocation of the Council in July 1917, among other things, developed a special «Regulation» governing the election of delegates to the Council throughout the country. Each diocese was given the right to represent six participants of the future Local Council. Some dioceses, due to the peculiarities of their arrangement, had simplified rules for the election of their delegates. One of these dioceses, the Japanese diocese, had to, besides the ruling bishop, elect two people, that is, send to Moscow only three. But even this minimum requirement for the Japanese diocese proved difficult to meet. The topicality of the study is conditioned by the recent trend of studying prosopraphy of participants of the Grand Council 1917–1918. While the participation of some delegates in the Council was fruitful and active, others, including Father Simeon Mii, did not stand out among others with their speeches and reports. But the value in this case lies in the fact that on his return to Japan after a short stay in Moscow, Archpriest Simeon Mii composed memories that present a look at both the Council and the life of the Orthodox Russian Church through the eyes of a man from abroad.