Forty-six thousand days - Shimanrokusennichi

Japanese: 四万六千日 - しまんろくせんにち

Among the festival days for Kannon Bodhisattva, the principal image of Sensoji Temple in Taito Ward, Tokyo, this day is said to be the day on which the most merit can be obtained, and it falls on July 9th and 10th every year. Originally called "Sennichimairi," it was believed that visiting on this day would bring the same merit as visiting for 1,000 days, but from around the Kyoho era (1716-1736), it was said that the merit would be the same as visiting for 46,000 days, and it came to be called "Shimanrokusennichi." On the festival day, Sensoji Temple distributes talismans to ward off lightning, and a "ground cherries market" is held within the temple grounds. It is said that tea whisks (chasen) were once sold at the market instead of ground cherries. Then, during the Bunka era (1804-1818), red corn began to be sold as a thunderbolt, and in the early Meiji era, the market for ground cherries, which were sold at the 1,000-day visit to Jizo-son (46,000 days) at Atago Shrine in Shiba as a way to ward off nausea and worms, moved there, and by the end of the Meiji era, most of the stores selling red corn had disappeared. It is said that the talismans to ward off lightning given out by temples began as a substitute for red corn during poor harvests in the early Meiji era.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

東京都台東区の浅草寺の本尊である観世音菩薩の縁日のうち，特に多くの功徳が得られるとされる功徳日のことで，毎年 7月9，10日がその日にあたる。もとは「千日詣り」といい，本来はこの日に参詣すると 1000日参詣したのと同じ功徳が得られるとされていたが，享保年間（1716～36）頃から 4万6000日参詣したのと同じ功徳があるとされ，「四万六千日」と呼ぶようになった。縁日には浅草寺が雷よけの護符を配り，境内に「ほおずき市」が立つ。市ではかつてはホオズキではなく茶筅（ちゃせん）が売られていたという。それが文化年間（1804～18）頃に雷よけとして赤トウモロコシが売られるようになり，明治初期に芝の愛宕神社の地蔵尊千日詣（四万六千日）で癪封じや子供の虫封じの効能があるとして売られていたホオズキの市が移ってきて，明治末期には赤トウモロコシを売る店はほとんど姿を消した。寺が配る雷よけの護符は，明治初期に赤トウモロコシが凶作となったときに代わりとして出されたのが始まりと伝えられる。

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