<Hatsuyume/初夢>

The best dream of the first of the year.

Ichi Fuji, Ni Taka, San Nasubi
Yon Sen, Go Tabaco, Roku Zato

Mt. Fuji	taka/hawk	nasubi/eggplant
ohgi/fan	tabacco photo courtesy of Tabacco & Salt Mus.	zato photo courtesy of Morotsuka Village

1st/Mt.Fuji, 2nd/hawks, 3rd/eggplants,
4th/folding fan, 5th/ tobacco, 6th/shaved-headed blind monks

***



This is the order of good lack first dreams of the year.
There are various views about the reason.



Mt. Fuji is "the highest/高 and biggest/大" mountain in Japan.
Hawks surely "seize/掴み取る"what they want.
Nasu (eggplant) is the same pronounciation with nasu (成す）which means "accomplish" in Japanese


The foot of Mt. Fuji is spreaded widely and it's an image of
suehirogari (spreading out like an open fan), the sign of good future.
The 4th "fan" has the same meaning.

Hawks fly up and up in the sky.
The 5the "smoke of a tobacco also go up high in the air.

Eggplant doesn't have any hair ("Ke ga nai " in Japanese.)
"Ke ga nai " is the same pronouciation with "Keganai" which means "no injury"
The 6th "zato" shaved their hair, then they're also "Ke ga nai (no hair)"



Tokugawa Ieyasu was from Suruga (now Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Pref.).
Mt. Fuji is also in Suruga, and there were also hawks. Farmers in Suruga produced egg plant there.
It is said that Tokugawa Ieyasu liked egg plant very much.
Nasu (egg plant) was expenisve and valuable.
If we could dream what Tokugawa Ieyasu prouded in the first dream,
people thought that they can live security.
It's might be a good luck dream.

Hatsuyume-fuda (A sheet for a good dream) This Hatsuyume-fuda is from Ueno Tenmangu. It is said that if you sleep placing a drawing of Seven Gods under the pillow, you would dream a fantastic first dream of the year.