Haiku 28: Facing West

Here is today's haiku:

西方のはつ空拝む法師哉

And in romaji:

saihō no hatsu-zora ogamu hōshi kana

And English: "Westward, first sky of the New Year — the priest prays."

This is a haiku by Issa. The westward direction is auspicious in Pure Land Buddhism, where Sukhāvatī, Amitābha's "pure land," is in the west. This painting shows Amida welcoming Chūjō-hime to the Western Paradise; you can read more about Sukhavati and Chujo-hime at Wikipedia.

My vocabulary for today:

西
さい
"west"