batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l2251-l2371
---
record_id: batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l2251-l2371
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
passage_locator:
label: THE STORY OF URASHIMA TARO, THE FISHER LAD / THE FARMER AND THE BADGER /
THE ADVENTURES OF KINTARO, THE GOLDEN BOY / THE STORY OF THE MAN WHO DID NOT WISH
TO DIE; lines 2251-2371
start: '2251'
end: '2371'
translation: Japanese Fairy Tales
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: Sentaro, fearing death and sickness, seeks a way to live for centuries.
He recalls stories of long-lived rulers and of the Chinese king Shin-no-Shiko,
who sent Jofuku across the sea to Horaizan for the Elixir of Life. Sentaro searches
mountains for hermits, then prays at Jofuku's shrine for seven days. Jofuku appears,
rebukes Sentaro's selfish and idle nature, describes the austerities and powers
of hermits, and sends him instead to the deathless country of Perpetual Life on
a paper crane that grows large enough to carry him over mountains and out to sea.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Sentaro inherited a small fortune, lived carelessly, and was about thirty-two
years old when the events begin.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Sentaro becomes distressed by thoughts of sickness and death and wishes to
live five or six hundred years free from sickness.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The passage recounts stories of exceptionally long-lived figures, including
emperors and a Princess of Yamato.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The Chinese king Shin-no-Shiko is described as powerful and splendid but miserable
because he knows he must die.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Shin-no-Shiko orders Jofuku to seek the Elixir of Life from hermits in Horaizan
across the seas.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Jofuku does not return, and Mount Fuji is said to be the fabled Horaizan and
home of hermits with the elixir's secret.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Sentaro leaves home, searches mountainous regions and high peaks for hermits,
and finds none.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: A hunter says he does not know where the hermits live and mentions a notorious
robber with two hundred followers.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: Sentaro prays for seven days at Jofuku's shrine, asking to be shown the way
to a hermit who can give him what he seeks.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: At midnight on the seventh day, the inner shrine opens and Jofuku appears
in a luminous cloud.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: Jofuku says Sentaro's desire is selfish and describes hermits as living on
fruit, berries, and pine bark while cutting themselves off from the world.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: Jofuku says disciplined hermits can become light enough to ride a crane or
carp and walk on water without wet feet.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: Jofuku says Sentaro is idle and unfit for hermit life but will be sent to
the country of Perpetual Life where death never comes.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:14
text: Jofuku gives Sentaro a little paper crane; it grows large enough to carry
him, rises into the air, and flies over mountains toward the sea.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Sentaro
description: A man whose surname means “Millionaire,” living on inherited wealth
and fearing sickness and death.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Shin-no-Shiko
description: A powerful Chinese king who seeks the Elixir of Life because he fears
death.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Jofuku
description: An old courtier sent to Horaizan for the elixir, later worshiped as
patron god of the hermits, who appears to Sentaro at his shrine.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Hermits of Horaizan / high peaks
description: Hermits said to possess the secret of the Elixir of Life and to live
on Mount Fuji and other very high peaks.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Hunter
description: A hunter met by Sentaro in an unknown region who cannot identify the
hermits' dwelling place.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Paper crane
description: A little crane made of paper that grows large enough for Sentaro to
ride and carries him into the air.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: seeker of freedom from death
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Sentaro fears death and sickness, searches for hermits, prays to Jofuku,
and accepts transport to the country of Perpetual Life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: role:2
label: precedent seeker of the Elixir of Life
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Shin-no-Shiko fears death and orders Jofuku to obtain the elixir from Horaizan.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: messenger to the deathless hermits
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Jofuku is sent across the sea to Horaizan to bring back a phial of the magic
elixir.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: patron god and supernatural guide
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Jofuku is worshiped as patron god of the hermits and appears in a luminous
cloud to redirect Sentaro's quest.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: role:5
label: possessors of immortality secret
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The hermits are said to possess the secret of the elixir and to inhabit Mount
Fuji and high peaks.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: failed informant
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The hunter says he cannot tell Sentaro where such hermits live.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: magical conveyance
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The paper crane grows and carries Sentaro through the air over mountains
and toward the sea.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Elixir of Life / water of perpetual life
literal_form: A wonderful draught, phial of magic elixir, or water of perpetual
life that enables one to live forever.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: Mount Fuji and high peaks
literal_form: Mount Fuji, the fabled Horaizan, and other very high peaks where hermits
are said to live.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: Horaizan
literal_form: A faraway country across the seas, later identified in the tale with
Mount Fuji, where hermits possess the Elixir of Life.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: Jofuku's shrine
literal_form: The shrine where Sentaro prays for seven days and where Jofuku appears
at midnight.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: luminous cloud
literal_form: A luminous cloud in which Jofuku appears when the shrine door opens.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: paper crane
literal_form: A little crane made of paper that becomes large enough to ride and
flies away.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:7
label: water-walking
literal_form: The ability of a hermit to walk on water without wetting the feet.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Sentaro fears mortality
summary: Sentaro, an idle man living on inherited wealth, becomes distressed by
the thought of sickness and death and wishes for centuries of life.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Precedent of Shin-no-Shiko and Jofuku
summary: The tale recounts Shin-no-Shiko's fear of death and his command that Jofuku
sail to Horaizan to obtain the Elixir of Life from hermits.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Sentaro's mountain search
summary: Sentaro decides to seek hermits and the water of perpetual life, leaves
home, searches high mountain regions, and fails to find a hermit.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:4
label: Prayer and apparition at Jofuku's shrine
summary: Sentaro prays for seven days at Jofuku's shrine; at midnight on the seventh
day Jofuku appears in a luminous cloud.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Jofuku's rebuke and description of hermits
summary: Jofuku calls Sentaro's desire selfish, explains the austerities required
of hermits, and describes their extraordinary abilities.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:6
label: Departure by paper crane
summary: Jofuku sends Sentaro to the deathless country of Perpetual Life by giving
him a paper crane that enlarges and carries him into the air over mountains toward
the sea.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Quest for immortality through an elixir
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: Both Shin-no-Shiko and Sentaro seek the Elixir of Life or water of perpetual
life in order to escape death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the quest but does not yet show whether Sentaro obtains
immortality.
- id: motif:2
label: Deathless beings on a sacred or remote mountain
taxonomy_refs:
- cosmic_mountain
basis: Horaizan is described as across the seas and later identified with Mount
Fuji, a mountain home of hermits who know the elixir's secret.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage identifies a mythic mountain abode, but does not explicitly
call it a world center or cosmic axis.
- id: motif:3
label: Supernatural guide evaluates the seeker
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
- initiation
basis: Jofuku appears in a luminous cloud, judges Sentaro's desire selfish, and
explains why he is unfit for hermit discipline.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The evaluation redirects Sentaro but is not framed as a formal trial or
full initiation in this passage.
- id: motif:4
label: Departure to a deathless realm by magical conveyance
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
- ascent
basis: Jofuku sends Sentaro to the country of Perpetual Life on a paper crane that
grows, rises into the air, and flies over mountains and out to sea.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: Only the departure is included in this passage; the arrival and outcome
lie outside the provided range.
- id: motif:5
label: Austerity as path to supernatural lightness
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: Jofuku says hermits follow strict rules, cut themselves off from the world,
become free from earthly desire, and gain abilities such as riding a crane or
carp and walking on water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: These practices are described by Jofuku rather than enacted by Sentaro
in the passage.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly compares Sentaro's desire to avoid death with the
earlier story of Shin-no-Shiko seeking the Elixir of Life through Jofuku and the
hermits of Horaizan.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Shin-no-Shiko and Jofuku elixir quest within the passage
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an internal comparison supplied by the passage; it does not
establish historical details beyond the retold narrative.
- id: claim:2
claim: Jofuku's voyage across the sea to Horaizan and Sentaro's flight over mountains
toward the sea have the same broad function of sending a seeker beyond ordinary
geography toward a place associated with deathlessness.
claim_level: same_function
target: Journeys to Horaizan and to the country of Perpetual Life
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:9
- ev:10
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The destinations are not described as identical in the provided passage,
and Sentaro's destination is introduced as a different country of Perpetual Life.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2251-2265
quote_or_summary: Sentaro lives on inherited wealth, becomes distressed by thoughts
of death and sickness, and wishes to live five or six hundred years free from
sickness.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 2266-2283
quote_or_summary: Sentaro recalls stories of long-lived rulers and of Shin-no-Shiko,
a powerful Chinese king who remains miserable because he must die.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2284-2297
quote_or_summary: Shin-no-Shiko asks his court for the Elixir of Life; Jofuku says
hermits in Horaizan possess it, and the king sends him by junk with treasures
to obtain it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2298-2302
quote_or_summary: Jofuku never returns; Mount Fuji is said to be the fabled Horaizan
and home of hermits with the elixir's secret, and Jofuku is worshiped as their
patron god.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 2303-2311
quote_or_summary: Sentaro decides to find hermits and the water of perpetual life,
leaves his home, and searches the highest mountain peaks without finding a hermit.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2312-2324
quote_or_summary: In an unknown region Sentaro meets a hunter, who cannot tell where
the hermits live and instead mentions a notorious robber; Sentaro decides to go
to Jofuku's shrine.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2325-2332
quote_or_summary: Sentaro prays at Jofuku's shrine for seven days; at midnight on
the seventh day the inner shrine opens and Jofuku appears in a luminous cloud.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 2333-2357
quote_or_summary: Jofuku calls Sentaro's wish selfish and describes hermit life
as austere, world-renouncing, desire-free, and eventually able to ride a crane
or carp and walk on water.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 2358-2364
quote_or_summary: Jofuku says Sentaro is idle and unsuited to hermit life, but will
be helped by being sent to the country of Perpetual Life, where people live forever.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 2365-2371
quote_or_summary: Jofuku gives Sentaro a paper crane; Sentaro sits on it, it grows
large enough to ride, spreads its wings, rises, and flies over mountains toward
the sea.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized from provided passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Extraction relies only on the supplied passage. Motif labels are candidate-level
and should be reviewed, especially the use of cosmic_mountain and initiation taxonomy
refs.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
All observations, figures, roles, symbols, scenes, motifs, and comparison claims cite evidence from the provided passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg__l2251-l2371
passage_sha256=2422cff919acc91aa895ce4554d02e9153f4958b0b4fc0f2413f16fe5222e896