The Land of Perpetual Life

The Land of Perpetual Life was a Japanese fairy tale which Toshiko Sato's mother read to Toshiko as a child in Osaka.

It told the story of Sentaro, who sought the eponymous Land of Perpetual Life, but found upon living there that he soon longed for death. (PROSE: Trace Memory)

Plot

The emperor, Shin-no-Shiko, became unhappy at the thought of death and sought the Elixir of Life - a famous potion which would make the drinker live forever. He called on his courtier, Jofuku, to travel to Mount Fuji in search of the elixir, and the hermits who suposedly possessed it.

Many, many years ago, there lived a rich man called Sentaro. His father had been a powerful and wealthy man, and Sentaro inherited his fortunes from him, but he was not hardworking like his father, and spent his time being idle and lazy. One day, when Sentaro was thirty-three years old, he though of death and sickness, and the thoughts made him very sad. "I would like to live until I am six hundred years old at least," said Sentaro, "so that I am never sick and never old. The span of a man's life is far too short."An excerpt from The Land of Perpetual Life

Upon reaching the age of 33, Sentaro also became saddened by the thought of death and sickness. He wished to live to at least 600 years old. Sentaro had heard stories of long-lived people, such as the Princess of Yamato, who had lived to the age of 500. He had also heard of the emperor's search for the elixir, and too hoped to find the hermits so that he might join them and drink from the water of perpetual life.

Reaching Mount Fuji, Sentaro found no hermits; all that remained was a temple containing the shrine of Jofuku. Sentaro stayed and prayed for seven days, pleading that Jofuku show him the way to the hermits and their elixir. On the night of the seventh day, a door opened and from out of the door came the spirit of Jofuku.

"Sentaro!" said Jofuku. "You are a selfish man and your wish cannot easily be granted. Do you really think that you would like to live as a hermit? Hermits can only eat fruit and berries and the bark of pine trees; a hermit cannot live amongst others, amongst family or friends, and must live by so many rules. The hermit does not feel hunger, or pain. You, Sentaro, live well. You eat fine foods and drink much sake. You are not like other men, for you are lazy, and when it is cold you complain that it is too cold, and when it is hot you complain that it is too hot. A hermit does not do these things. Do you think you could really live as a hermit?"An excerpt from The Land of Perpetual Life

The spirit questioned whether Sentaro could truly live as a hermit. He offered instead to send Sentaro to the Land of Perpetual Life - a place where nobody died and everybody lived forever. The spirit of Jofuku placed in his hands an origami crane and told him to sit on its back - so that it could carry him to the faraway land.

The crane grew until it was bigger than any normal crane, and carried Sentaro away. They flew across the ocean until they reached a faraway land - The Land of Perpetual Life. Sentaro found the people there to be prosperous and wealthy. He settled on the island and found the it was true that nobody ever got sick. But the people there all dreamed of a different land, Horaizan - a land which could only be reached by travelling through the gates of death. Sentaro found he was the only happy man on the island.

Unlike Sentaro, the people of the island were not afraid of dying. In fact they longed for it, so desperately did they want to experience paradise. They were tired of their long, long lives, and wished to live in Horaizan instead. But nothing could help them. When they drank poisons, unlike you or me, the people of the Land of Perpetual Life did not get sick or die, but carried on living, even healthier than before. The people there would eat the poisonous globe fish in their restaurants, and even sauces made from Spanish flies. But they were never sick and they never died. Sentaro could not understand it. He thought that he would enjoy living forever, and so he was the only happy man on the island."An excerpt from The Land of Perpetual Life

After many years however, Sentaro realised that living forever was not as enjoyable as he had thought it would be. He paryed to Jofuku to take him away. They origami crane flew him swiftly away and across the sea towards Japan. Half way croass the sea, they hit a storm, and the paper crane began to crumble. Sentaro fell into the sea. Scared of drowning, Sentaro pleaded with Jofuku to help him, drawing the attention of a shark.

Sentaro awaoke to find himself on the floor of Jofoku's shrine. It had all been a dream. A bright light came towards him - a messenger sent by Jofuku.

The messenger held Sentaro's hand and said, "I am sent by Jofuku who, in answer to your prayer, has given you this dream so that you could see for yourself how it would be to live in the Land of Perpetual Life, and to see how you begged to return to Japan so that you could live a natural life and pass through the gates of death to the Land of Horaizan. You also saw, when you were threatened by the shark, that you were scared of death. You now fear both eternal life and death, and this is as a normal man lives. Now return to your home, Sentaro, and live a good and industrious life. Remember your ancestors and provide for your children. Thus you will live to an old age and be happy, for when selfish desires are granted they do not bring happiness."An excerpt from The Land of Perpetual Life

Sentaro returned home to live a good life until he became an old man. Upon his death, he went to the Land of Horaizan, where he lived happily ever after. (PROSE: Trace Memory)

Behind the scenes

The acknowledgements page at the end of Trace Memory states that, with one or two alterations, the writer David Llewellyn adapted The Land of Perpetual Life from the real world Japanese fairy tale The Story of the Man Who Did Not Wish to Die, as included in the volume Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki.