Long ago, there lived a man named Sentaro. He lived on a small fortune inherited from his father. Suddenly, one day, the thought of death and sickness overpowered him. The thought of falling ill or dying made him sad. ‘I want to live for five hundred years,’ he said to himself. Sentaro had heard numerous stories of the emperors in history who had lived for thousands of years. Many a time, he had heard the tale of the Chinese King named Shin-no-Shiko. He also never wished to die. The Chinese King had sent his servant, Jofuku, to Horaizan. There, hermits lived who possessed the secret of the ‘Elixir of Life’. The one who drank the Elixir of Life lived forever. But unfortunately, Jofuku never returned to the Chinese King. Now, Sentaro was determined to find the hermits and get the water of eternal life. As a child, he had heard that hermits lived on Mount Fuji. So, he started out on his quest.
Sentaro Meets Jofuku
Sentaro reached Mt. Fuji but could not find Horaizan. So, he decided to go to the shrine of Jofuku who was worshipped as the patron god of the hermits. He prayed for seven days. On the seventh day, when Sentaro was kneeling in the temple, the door of the innermost shrine flew open, and Jofuku appeared in a gleaming cloud. Jofuku told him that Sentaro had lived a life of comfort and would not be able to live a life of hermits. The life of hermits would be too difficult for him. However, he would send Sentaro to the country of Perpetual Life, where people lived forever. Saying this, Jofuku gave Sentaro a small crane made of paper. He asked Sentaro to sit on its back and it would carry him to the country of Perpetual Life. Quickly, the crane grew large enough for him to ride on it. The crane spread its wings, rose high in the air, and flew away.
The Land of Perpetual Life
After a few days, they reached an island. Sentaro jumped down from the bird’s back. The crane reduced itself in size, folded up of its own accord and flew into his pocket. Sentaro looked around in amazement. All the people around were affluent. So, he decided to stay there only. But after some days, he realised that everything was topsy-turvy. Sentaro wished to live forever. But the people of the island were tired of living and wanted to die so that they might go to Paradise. They even ate poison to die! But nothing seemed to work. But Sentaro said to himself, ‘I will never grow tired of living. I want to live for thousands of years and enjoy life.’ He started his business and stayed for three hundred years. At last, he was tired of living on the island. He longed to go to his own country and his home.
Sentaro’s Dream
Sentaro prayed to Jofuku to send him back to his own land again. As soon as he prayed, the paper crane popped out of his pocket. Sentaro was shocked to see that it had remained intact for so many years. The crane grew in size and Sentaro jumped on its back. It flew in the direction of Japan. Suddenly, a storm came, and the magnificent paper crane got wet, crumpled up, and fell into the sea. Afraid, he prayed to Jofuku to save him. Sentaro woke up in front of the shrine only to find that it was all a dream. An angel appeared and told him that now he had seen the land of Perpetual Life and he didn’t want that. He also didn’t want to die. The angel told him to go home and live a good life. Sentaro did that and he prospered.
