Shimanrokusennichi (The 46,000-Day Blessing Day)

What Is Shimanrokusennichi?

July 9th and 10th mark "Shimanrokusennichi" (literally, "46,000 days"), a traditional Buddhist observance. According to belief, visiting a temple dedicated to Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy) on this day brings the same spiritual merit as 46,000 days of devotion — roughly equivalent to about 126 years, or more than a full human lifetime.

Historical Background of Shimanrokusennichi

This observance is most famously associated with Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. From around the late Muromachi period, the temple began to designate "kudoku-bi" (merit days), when a visit was said to bring the merit of 100 or 1,000 days. Today Sensoji has 12 such days a year, and the greatest is July 10, said to bring 46,000 days of merit — hence the name. In the Edo period, people eager to be first began arriving on the 9th, so both the 9th and 10th came to be treated as festival days. The "Hozuki Ichi" (Chinese Lantern Plant Fair) is also held, drawing huge crowds as one of the great seasonal scenes of the Tokyo summer.

• Origin: The greatest of Sensoji's 12 annual "merit days" (July 10)
• Main venue: Sensoji Temple, Taito Ward, Tokyo
• Related event: The Hozuki Ichi (Chinese Lantern Plant Fair) takes place at the same time

Fun Facts About Shimanrokusennichi

• Hozuki Ichi (Lantern Plant Fair): Said to date back to the Meiwa era (1764–72), it spread to Sensoji under the influence of a hozuki market held on Shimanrokusennichi at Atago Shrine in Shiba. About 100 stalls line the temple grounds selling potted hozuki plants — known in English as Chinese lanterns — with their bright red husks.
• The meaning of 46,000 days: 46,000 days works out to roughly 126 years — about the limit of a human life — so it is described as "a festival day that brings a lifetime's worth of merit." One theory holds that one shō (a traditional measure) of rice contains about 46,000 grains, and "isshō" (one shō) is a pun on "isshō" (a lifetime), though this is not certain.
• Lightning-protection charms: Red corn, believed to ward off lightning, was once sold on the temple grounds. When a poor harvest around the early Meiji era made it scarce, Sensoji began offering triangular "kaminari-yoke" (lightning-protection) charms, which are still given out only on the 9th and 10th.

How to Spend This Day

July 9th is a good occasion to learn about one of Japan's traditional summer customs. Even if visiting Sensoji Temple in person isn't possible, it can be interesting to look into the summer festivals held at shrines and temples in your own area — many places around the world have similar traditions of seasonal blessings and community fairs.