9 Torii Kiyonaga 1752 – 1815 Lucky New Year Dreams: Fuji, Falcon, and Eggplant

Japan, original design ca. 1786 (Tenmei era); this print is a later mid-19th-century edition

Middle sheet of an original vertical ōban triptych

This beautiful print is a later mid-19th-century edition based on a masterful 1786 original by Torii Kiyonaga. Popular classical motifs like this were reissued in later decades due to high collector demand. The sheet, which originally formed the center panel of a triptych, depicts a classic New Year's theme. According to Japanese tradition, dreaming of Mount Fuji, a falcon, or an eggplant in the first dream of the New Year brings the greatest fortune. The composition is dominated by a noblewoman and her companion with a fan set against the backdrop of the sacred Mount Fuji. The third element of the lucky dream, the eggplant, is cleverly incorporated into the gift box held by the young attendant in the foreground.