Hatsuyume

Hatsuyume (??) is the Japanese word for the first dream seen in the new year. Traditionally, the contents of the dream would fortell the luck of the dreamer in the ensuing year. In Japan, the night of December 31st was often passed without sleeping, thus the hatsuyume was often the dream seen the night of January 1st. This explains why January 2nd (the day after the night of the "first dream") is known as Hatsuyume in the traditional Japanese calendar.

Related Topics:
Japanese - Japanese calendar

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It is considered to be particularly good luck to dream of Mount Fuji, a hawk, and an eggplant. This belief has been in place since the early Edo period but there are various theories regarding the origins as to why this particular combination was considered to be auspicious. One theory suggests that this combination is lucky because Mount Fuji is Japan's highest mountain, the hawk is a clever and strong bird, and the word for eggplant (nasu or nasubi ??) suggests achieving something great (nasu ??). Another theory suggests that this combination arose because Mount Fuji, falconry, and early eggplants were favorites of the sh?gun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Related Topics:
Mount Fuji - Hawk - Eggplant - Edo period - Falconry - Sh?gun - Tokugawa Ieyasu

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Although this superstition is well known in Japan, often memorized in the form Ichi-Fuji, Ni-Taka, San-Nasubi (?????????? - 1. Fuji, 2. Hawk, 3. Eggplant), the continuation of the list is not as well known. The continuation is as follows: Yon-Sen, Go-Tabako, Roku-Zat? (?????????? - 4. Fan, 5. Tobacco, 6. Blind Musician). The origins of this trio are less well known and there is debate as to whether they were added after the original three or whether the list of six originated at the same time.

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