Week 9 Reading Notes: Ozaki Part A

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Story: Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki, with illustrations by Japanese artists (1905).

The Story of the Man Who Did Not Wish to Die

Characters:

Sentaro- His surname meant millionaire, but he was not that rich. He is scared of death.

Shin-no-Shiko- He was the most able and powerful rulers in history. He built so many large palaces, the great wall of China and had everything. He then wanted the Elixir-of-Life to live forever.

Jofuku-




The Elixir-of-Life allowed for whoever drinks it to live forever. Sentaro had heard the story of it from history, and he felt the need to go on a quest. He asked a hunter he met where the elixir of life is held and where the hermits who kept it resided. The man could not help him. Sentaro went to the shrine to pray for 7 days. Jofuku appeared in a cloud and told Sentaro that his desire was selfish and not easy to grant. He believed Sentaro was not ready to live a hermits life since he was used to comfortable living.

He answers the prayer to send him to the country of perpetual life, where death never comes. Jofuku put a little paper crane into Sentaro's and hand said it would take him there. The crane grew and stretched its wings so that he could fly over seas. He was scared at first, but they went thousands of miles and did not stop for food. They reached an island after several days, and the crane landed and folded into his pocket.

The villagers cannot remember a time one of their islanders had died. Sickness was not a thing they knew. Unlike him, they all longed for death as something good and desirable. They were tired of their long lives and wanted to go to the paradise the priests had told them about. They were doomed to never die. The land was topsy turvey, even if the people tried to die it only made them healthier.

Sentaro was the only happy man on the island, as time passed he felt slowly worse. He wished to leave and so the crane grew again and he left. He awoke to realize that he had fallen asleep in front of the shrine and these events were not true.