Hatsuyume [初夢、はつゆめ] is a Japanese word that means “first dream.” 初 [hatsu] means “first” and 夢 [yume] means “dream.” It is a term used to refer to the first dream someone has after falling asleep, and more commonly, the specific dream on the first day of the year in Japan. In summary, it is the first dream of the new year, which depending on its content can bring good luck for the rest of the year.
Some people believe that this dream may have a special meaning or reveal something about the person who had it. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this thesis, although it is important to note that recording dreams and telling them to someone later can serve as therapeutic relief in many cases.
There are various interpretations of dreams, and some common symbols and images may have different meanings depending on the culture or context. For example, dreaming of a person can be interpreted as a mental representation of what the person thinks of themselves or relates to a quality or characteristic that someone is seeking. Dreaming of animals can also have different meanings, depending on the animal and the context in which they appear during sleep.
In the specific case of Japanese culture, it is believed that if you dream of the image of Mount Fuji (富士山), Eggplants, or Hawks, it means you will have good luck throughout the rest of the year. It may seem strange at first, but I will explain the reason later.
In this article, we will see details about this curious aspect of Japanese culture.
We also recommend reading:
- Japanese Superstitions – Bad luck and good luck in Japan
- 10 ways to say Luck in Japanese
- Sanpaku Eyes – Superstition, Death and Meaning
Table of Contents
Dreams according to psychology
Dreams are surrounded by mysteries, but when we talk scientifically, they are a natural part of the sleep process and can be influenced by a variety of factors, such as the emotional state of the individual on that day, their afflictions, thoughts, and goals.
Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, and Carl Gustav Jung, the father of analytical psychology, analyzed countless dreams and came to incredible interpretations about this phenomenon. The former believed that dreams were unconscious desires, while the latter theorized about the common ancestral symbolic images that could exist in the dreams of subjects around the world.
To this day, there is no consensus on what actually “shapes” our dreams or whether they have meaning or not.
Also read: About Japanese Psychologists and Psychology in Japan
The three first lucky dreams – Hatsuyume
In Japan, superstitions are taken seriously. One of the most famous concerns the New Year’s dream or the dream of the first day of the year. On January 1st (or on the first day you dream, which can also be on the 2nd or 3rd), there are three dreams that if you have them, it is considered a sign of good luck. They are:
1 – Dreaming of Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji is known worldwide for its beauty. It is considered the highest point in Japan, at 3776 meters tall. It is also a volcano. It represents in some way two characteristics of the country: beauty and the fear of natural disasters. Besides being one of the most beautiful symbols of Japan, it is also known to bring good luck.
In Kanji, Mount Fuji is written as 富士山 [Fuji-San]. The first ideogram means “abundance,” “wealth,” “fortune.” The second carries the idea of “samurai” and “a respected person.” The last symbol is 山 which is read as “san” within the word and means “mountain” or “mount.”
Some sources say that Mount Fuji tends to bring good luck because it is the highest mountain in Japan, while others report that it is due to the ideograms that make up the word.
2 – Dreaming of a Hawk
Few know, but hawks were used as weapons by samurais during the Kamakura period, in an art known as takagari. Hawk, in Japanese, is said as taka and, interestingly, has the same reading as the kanji of takai which means “high.” It is in second place in terms of luck for the New Year. If you dream of this bird on New Year’s, be happy!
3 – Dreaming of an Eggplant
The strangest case on this list is that of the Eggplant. However, there is a plausible explanation. Eggplant in Japanese is said as nasu [茄子], but nasu is also the reading of the verb nasu [成す] which among various possible meanings means “to establish,” “to reach,” “to become,” “to achieve,” and “to realize.”
The Japanese term to refer to these three dreams is: ichi fuji, ni taka, san nasubi [一富士二鷹三茄子].
This belief apparently exists since the Edo period. There are several other theories that try to explain the origin of this superstition and why Mount Fuji, Hawk, and Eggplant were the images chosen to represent it.
Some explanations say that these three entities were the favorites of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, while others claim that it is a reference to “high” (divine) things, as besides Mount Fuji, there is also another huge mountain in Japan called Ashitaka [愛鷹山] that uses the kanji for Hawk!
Japanese Lucky Charms
There are several objects that are lucky charms for the Japanese. Below we list the most well-known:
- Maneki Neko
- Daruma
- Fukubukuro
- Omamori
- Akabeko
Also read: Omamori – Protection and Luck Charms in Japan
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