Universal History Annotation << Back ARCHBISHOP NICHOLAS (KASATKIN) AS STATE AND CHURCH LEADER OF RUSSIA O.A. Kurbatov The article deals with the activities of the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, hieromonk, and later Archbishop Nicholas (later Ivan Dmitrievich Kasatkin). The article reveals the features of Russian missionary activity among the population of Japan in the person of its leader, Archbishop Nikolai Kasatkin. It is said that the Russian mission played the role of a kind of «conductor» of religious and cultural influence and did not seek to interfere in the internal Affairs of this country in contrast to the Western missions. The author concludes that the Russian spiritual mission, founded in Japan in the second half of the XIX century, played an outstanding role in the establishment and strengthening of Russian-Japanese relations, contributing to the rapprochement of neighboring peoples, the establishment of diplomatic relations and the development of cultural ties. Archbishop Nikolai Kasatkin, the founder of The Russian ecclesiastical mission in Japan, made a special contribution to the establishment of Russian-Japanese relations. Keywords: Christianity, missionary work, Church, activity, culture, religiosity, distribution, spirituality. DOI: 10.25791/vseist.04.2019.1087 Contacts: - Pp. 39-48.