Think back to the first dream you had this year… did it happen to feature Mount Fuji, a hawk and/or an eggplant? If so, then you could be within a year full of luck, or at least the Japanese phenomenon of “hatsuyume” (初夢, lit. first dream) may have you believe so.
People in Japan usually follow up the arrival of the new year with a somewhat ritualistic visit to their local shrine or temple in a tradition known as Hatsumode. This event sees individuals make offerings to the deities, pray for a prosperous year and seek their fortune for the year in the form of an Omikuji reading.
Whilst pulling a dai-kichi reading (big fortune) from the omikuji pile may have you feeling excited for the year ahead, having dreamt a hatsuyume dream with Mount fuji, a hawk and/or an eggplant is believed to be a much greater positive omen.
So what exactly makes this strange combination so special?
Well, there are a number of possible reasons, however, the most commonly believed theory is that Mount Fuji’s immense height, the wit and strength of the hawk and the Japanese word of eggplant – 茄子, nasu – sharing pronunciation with the Japanese word for “great achievement” – 成す, nasu – all make for an auspicious omen.
“Ichi-fuji, ni-taka, san-nasubi” is a popular chant that helps individuals remember this list, and in fact continues with some lesser known additional subjects that are also considered lucky when viewed in a hatsuyume dream. These extra subjects include a handheld fan, tobacco (either in smoking form or as a plant), or a zato (a member of the edo-era Japanese guild for blind men, with occupations usually taking the form of acupuncturists, masseurs and musicians). A possible further continuation includes chonmage, roses and kabuki – though Japanese historians often argue that these could be false additions of the modern age.
So, when all of these come together in the form of the first dream of the year how can anything go wrong … right?
Prior to the introduction of the Gregorian calendar to Japan back in 1873, the country followed a system of lunisolar calendars, the last of which was the Tenpō Calendar. Because of this, although the majority of dreams interpreted as hatsuyume happen on the night of January 1st or 2nd, a dream can also be observed as a hatsuyume when it occurs around setsubun – which was once considered the turning point in the calendars.
This means that if you happen to have a dream featuring the lucky subjects on the night of 3rd or 4th of February this year, then you can also consider it a hatsuyume, and look forward to a plentiful year ahead.
Hatsuyume dream research survey and it’s findings
With hatsuyume dreams being so very specific in nature, you might be left wondering just exactly how common they occur.
According to this survey conducted by Japan Trend Research (which is operated by NEXER Co., Ltd) it seems as though hatsuyume dreams are not as unusual as one might think, with 9.9% of survey participants admitting to having had a dream resembling the description of a hatsuyume dream.
As an ode to the new year the survey was undertaken by 2022 respondents. This means that the 9.9% having admitted to having a hatsuyume dream equals to around 200 people.
The survey then asked these respondents which of the lucky subjects they had witnessed in their dream. Perhaps because of its immense-ness in both physical size and spiritual power, Mount Fuji came out on top with 84% having listed it as occurring in their dream, this compares to dreams of hawks which occurred in only 30.5% of dreams and eggplant which took place in only 23%.
Hatsuyume dream details
The participants were then able to share details of their individual dreams.
Some, we’re lucky enough to have seen all three of the lucky subjects within one dream such as these;
– “I dreamt of flying a kite after I turned 50 years old. Mt. Fuji was in the background, and a hawk flew overhead, and for some reason there was an eggplant at my feet.” (Male, 70s)
– “I went on a climbing trip to Mt. Fuji, whilst there I saw a hawk flying overhead in the sky, and when I stopped by an inn they served up eggplant stew as a side dish” (Male, 60s)
Other dreams seemed to focus more on one subject;
– “In my dream I saw Mt. Fuji pass by as I took a ride on the shinkansen” (Female, teens)
– “I dreamt of viewing Mt. Fuji from an onsen” (Female, 90s)
– “In my dream I flew around Mt. Fuji freely” (Male, 50s) (Perhaps this respondent didn’t realise that in his dream he could have been a hawk?)
In a somewhat reversal of the meaning of hatsuyume, some dreams seemed to represent a bad omen;
– “I dreamt of falling off of a cliff after being chased by a hawk” (Female, 40s)
– “My dream was a scary one, with Mt. Fuji erupting and sending molten lava in my direction” (Male, 80s)
And others seemed to have more comedic value than auspicious, (but really who is to doubt the powers of a hatsuyume?);
– “In my dream I became the main character of a game like Dragon Quest and fought against the ghost of a eggplant” (Female, 30s)
– “Before I went to bed I had forgotten to turn on my electric blanket, so my dream saw me climbing Mt. Fuji in the cold snow. (Female, 40s)
– “I saw Mt. Fuji split into two, and from the crack Momotaro came out and accompanied me to a Toraya sweets store, where we ate yokan with Princess Kaguya. After that, I met a bear and went for a drive to Mt. Ashigara. (Male,60s)
How the year played out following having witnessed a hatsuyume dream
With such a variety of dreams ranging from the very simple to whimsical fairytale-esque adventures and scary omens, there is a curiosity as to how the year in which the hatsuyume took place was played out.
When asked what the year was like, 61.5% said it was no different than a usual year, 6.5% recalled it being a bad year, and 32% said it was a good or very good year.
Examples of how these years played out include;
Good –
“I got married, had a baby and got promoted” (Male, 30s)
“I won the lottery” (Male, 30s)
“I was blessed with a lot of money” (Female, 40s)
“I was able to get a a job” (Female, 20s)
Bad –
“It was the year that COVID spread” (Male, 60s)
“My mother passed away, so it was a very lonely year for me” (Female, 40s)
“I often got into trouble” (Male, 50s)
The differences in these results might conclude that witnessing a hatsuyume dream has little effect on the actual year ahead, and that our destinies are perhaps not tied with fortune but instead developed through our life choices. But all in all, what we choose to believe or not comes down to our own individuality.
So how about you –
Have you ever experienced hatsuyume?
Think back to the first dream you had this year… did it happen to feature Mount Fuji, a hawk and/or an eggplant? If so, then you could be within a year full of luck, or at least the Japanese phenomenon of “hatsuyume” (初夢, lit. first dream) may have you believe so.
People in Japan usually follow up the arrival of the new year with a somewhat ritualistic visit to their local shrine or temple in a tradition known as Hatsumode. This event sees individuals make offerings to the deities, pray for a prosperous year and seek their fortune for the year in the form of an Omikuji reading.
Whilst pulling a dai-kichi reading (big fortune) from the omikuji pile may have you feeling excited for the year ahead, having dreamt a hatsuyume dream with Mount fuji, a hawk and/or an eggplant is believed to be a much greater positive omen.
Vector illustrations by Connie Sceaphierde
So what exactly makes this strange combination so special?
Well, there are a number of possible reasons, however, the most commonly believed theory is that Mount Fuji’s immense height, the wit and strength of the hawk and the Japanese word of eggplant – 茄子, nasu – sharing pronunciation with the Japanese word for “great achievement” – 成す, nasu – all make for an auspicious omen.
“Ichi-fuji, ni-taka, san-nasubi” is a popular chant that helps individuals remember this list, and in fact continues with some lesser known additional subjects that are also considered lucky when viewed in a hatsuyume dream. These extra subjects include a handheld fan, tobacco (either in smoking form or as a plant), or a zato (a member of the edo-era Japanese guild for blind men, with occupations usually taking the form of acupuncturists, masseurs and musicians). A possible further continuation includes chonmage, roses and kabuki – though Japanese historians often argue that these could be false additions of the modern age.
So, when all of these come together in the form of the first dream of the year how can anything go wrong … right?
Prior to the introduction of the Gregorian calendar to Japan back in 1873, the country followed a system of lunisolar calendars, the last of which was the Tenpō Calendar. Because of this, although the majority of dreams interpreted as hatsuyume happen on the night of January 1st or 2nd, a dream can also be observed as a hatsuyume when it occurs around setsubun – which was once considered the turning point in the calendars.
This means that if you happen to have a dream featuring the lucky subjects on the night of 3rd or 4th of February this year, then you can also consider it a hatsuyume, and look forward to a plentiful year ahead.
Hatsuyume dream research survey and it’s findings
With hatsuyume dreams being so very specific in nature, you might be left wondering just exactly how common they occur.
According to this survey conducted by Japan Trend Research (which is operated by NEXER Co., Ltd) it seems as though hatsuyume dreams are not as unusual as one might think, with 9.9% of survey participants admitting to having had a dream resembling the description of a hatsuyume dream.
As an ode to the new year the survey was undertaken by 2022 respondents. This means that the 9.9% having admitted to having a hatsuyume dream equals to around 200 people.
The survey then asked these respondents which of the lucky subjects they had witnessed in their dream. Perhaps because of its immense-ness in both physical size and spiritual power, Mount Fuji came out on top with 84% having listed it as occurring in their dream, this compares to dreams of hawks which occurred in only 30.5% of dreams and eggplant which took place in only 23%.
Hatsuyume dream details
The participants were then able to share details of their individual dreams. Some, we’re lucky enough to have seen all three of the lucky subjects within one dream such as these;
– “I dreamt of flying a kite after I turned 50 years old. Mt. Fuji was in the background, and a hawk flew overhead, and for some reason there was an eggplant at my feet.” (Male, 70s)
– “I went on a climbing trip to Mt. Fuji, whilst there I saw a hawk flying overhead in the sky, and when I stopped by an inn they served up eggplant stew as a side dish” (Male, 60s)
Other dreams seemed to focus more on one subject;
– “In my dream I saw Mt. Fuji pass by as I took a ride on the shinkansen” (Female, teens)
– “I dreamt of viewing Mt. Fuji from an onsen” (Female, 90s)
– “In my dream I flew around Mt. Fuji freely” (Male, 50s) (Perhaps this respondent didn’t realise that in his dream he could have been a hawk?)
In a somewhat reversal of the meaning of hatsuyume, some dreams seemed to represent a bad omen;
– “I dreamt of falling off of a cliff after being chased by a hawk” (Female, 40s)
– “My dream was a scary one, with Mt. Fuji erupting and sending molten lava in my direction” (Male, 80s)
And others seemed to have more comedic value than auspicious, (but really who is to doubt the powers of a hatsuyume?);
– “In my dream I became the main character of a game like Dragon Quest and fought against the ghost of a eggplant” (Female, 30s)
– “Before I went to bed I had forgotten to turn on my electric blanket, so my dream saw me climbing Mt. Fuji in the cold snow. (Female, 40s)
– “I saw Mt. Fuji split into two, and from the crack Momotaro came out and accompanied me to a Toraya sweets store, where we ate yokan with Princess Kaguya. After that, I met a bear and went for a drive to Mt. Ashigara. (Male,60s)
How the year played out following having witnessed a hatsuyume dream
With such a variety of dreams ranging from the very simple to whimsical fairytale-esque adventures and scary omens, there is a curiosity as to how the year in which the hatsuyume took place was played out.
When asked what the year was like, 61.5% said it was no different than a usual year, 6.5% recalled it being a bad year, and 32% said it was a good or very good year. Examples of how these years played out include;
Good –
“I got married, had a baby and got promoted” (Male, 30s)
“I won the lottery” (Male, 30s)
“I was blessed with a lot of money” (Female, 40s)
“I was able to get a a job” (Female, 20s)
Bad –
“It was the year that COVID spread” (Male, 60s)
“My mother passed away, so it was a very lonely year for me” (Female, 40s)
“I often got into trouble” (Male, 50s)
The differences in these results might conclude that witnessing a hatsuyume dream has little effect on the actual year ahead, and that our destinies are perhaps not tied with fortune but instead developed through our life choices. But all in all, what we choose to believe or not comes down to our own individuality.
So how about you – Have you ever experienced hatsuyume?