- 1801–02
- Signature: Toyokuni-ga 豊国画
- Marks: publisher’s seal
- Publisher: : Maruya Jimpachi 丸屋甚八 (Marujin, Enjudô; active c 1770–1842)
- Publisher: (ôban tate-e), part of a triptych
- Medium: multicolor woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and colors on paper
“First Dream of New Year” shows a bijin – a “beautiful person” fast asleep on the first day of the new year. Deciphering the first dream of the year (hatsuyume) is one way of divining the immediate future. The sleeping beauty will enjoy felicity, perhaps in marriage (through the crane), long life (through the turtle), and good luck (through a Lucky Dragon).
Toyokuni I was the son of a puppet maker. He joined the Utagawa School and was tutored by its founder, Toyoharu. Eventually Toyokuni himself became the school’s master and his name was adopted by subsequent students, Kunisada for one.
Like other woodblock artists at that time, he turned to theaters and brothels for inspiration. His prints of these colorful figures are more than portraits, for they allow us a glimpse of the roles played by the actors, and they give fresh insights into life inside Edo’s Yoshiwara prostitution enclave.
