ichifuji nitaka sannasubi
the traditional ranking of lucky first-dream images: Mount Fuji, a hawk, an eggplant
一富士二鷹三茄子（いちふじにたかさんなすび）
In one line
The shortest answer that works
This saying ranks the luckiest things to see in your first dream of the new year: Mount Fuji, a hawk, then an eggplant.
これは正月の初夢で見ると縁起がいいものの順位で、一位が富士山、二位が鷹、三位が茄子です。
In 30 seconds
The standard explanation
Ichifuji nitaka sannasubi ranks the luckiest possible subjects for hatsuyume, the first dream of the new year: Mount Fuji comes first, a hawk second, and an eggplant third. Nobody knows for certain why this exact combination became lucky, and several explanations circulate, including a folk story that these were simply the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu's favorite things, and a separate theory linking all three to famous products of Suruga province, near where Ieyasu lived. Modern versions sometimes extend the list further with a fan, tobacco, and an eggplant blossom, though those additions are far less commonly known than the original three.
一富士二鷹三茄子とは、正月の初夢で見ると縁起がいいとされるものの順位で、一位が富士山、二位が鷹、三位が茄子です。なぜこの三つなのかは誰にもはっきりとは分かっておらず、徳川家康の好物を並べたという言い伝えや、家康ゆかりの駿河国の名産にちなむという説など、いくつもの説明が伝わっています。現代版ではさらに扇・タバコ・茄子の花を加えることもありますが、こちらは元の三つほど広くは知られていません。
As a short speech
A full paragraph you can read aloud
Ichifuji nitaka sannasubi is a saying that ranks the luckiest things you could possibly see in hatsuyume, your first dream of the new year: Mount Fuji in first place, a hawk in second, and an eggplant in third. Nobody can say for certain why these specific three items, and the explanations that survive don't agree with each other.
One popular story claims they were simply the favorite things of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, tying the saying to his personal taste. Another links all three to Suruga province, Ieyasu's home region, where Mount Fuji was visible, hawks were considered especially fine, and the area's early eggplant harvest was famous and expensive.
A few other theories exist as well, involving wordplay on the sounds of the words themselves. I find it a nice example of how a piece of folklore can stay popular for centuries without anyone ever settling on where it actually came from.
一富士二鷹三茄子とは、正月の初夢で見られる最も縁起がいいものを順にならべた言い伝えで、一位が富士山、二位が鷹、三位が茄子です。なぜこの三つなのか、確かなことは誰にも分かっておらず、伝わっている説明も互いに食い違っています。
よく語られるのは、これらは将軍徳川家康の好物にすぎなかったという話で、家康個人の好みに結びつけています。別の説は、この三つすべてを家康の故郷である駿河国に結びつけます。
そこからは富士山が見え、鷹は特に上等とされ、その土地の早出しの茄子は高価で有名だったというものです。言葉の音にかけた説もいくつか存在します。何世紀にもわたって人気を保ちながら、誰もその本当の由来を突き止められずにいるという、民間伝承のよい例だと私は思います。
Questions people actually ask
And how to answer them.
QIs there a scientific reason these three items are considered lucky?
Not really. It's a folk saying, and the explanations for why these specific three were chosen are all traditional stories rather than confirmed history.
特にありません。これは民間の言い伝えで、なぜこの三つが選ばれたのかについての説明は、確かな歴史というより伝承にすぎません。
QWhat happens if I don't dream about any of these on New Year's?
Nothing in particular. Most people treat it as lighthearted fun rather than something that actually predicts the year ahead.
特に何も起きません。多くの人はこれを、一年を実際に占うものというより、気楽な楽しみとして扱っています。
A common misunderstanding
MYTHEveryone in Japan takes their New Year's first dream seriously as a real fortune-telling method.
FACTIt's treated more as a fun, lighthearted tradition than an actual prediction, and plenty of people don't remember their hatsuyume at all.
Phrases you can use
- Did you have a good hatsuyume this year?今年はいい初夢を見た？
- I dreamed about Mount Fuji, so I guess that's lucky.富士山の夢を見たから縁起がいいのかな。
- Nobody really knows why these three are the lucky ones.なぜこの3つが縁起がいいのかは誰も本当のところは知りません。
- It's just a fun New Year's tradition, not a serious prediction.ただの正月の楽しい言い伝えで、真剣な占いではありません。
Words you need
- first dream of the year初夢
- lucky omen縁起物
- folk saying言い伝え
- shogun将軍
Watch
From YouTubeBackground (Japanese)
「一富士二鷹三茄子」の由来には諸説あり、徳川家康の好物を並べたという説や、家康ゆかりの駿河国の名産（富士山・鷹狩り・初茄子）にちなむという説などが伝わるが、どれも確定した史実ではないとされる。実際には初夢がいつの夜の夢を指すかについても、大晦日から元日、あるいは元日から2日にかけての夢など解釈が分かれており、地域や家庭による違いも大きい。