The Rakan (Arhat) in this example are shown examining a painting of White-Robed Kannon (Sanskrit: Pandaravasini Avalokitesvara), the Bodhisattva of compassion.
Close looking reveals an extraordinary technical feat: all the pictorial elements — figures, architecture, tree, painted scroll, even facial details and shaded areas — are delineated in Chinese characters.
The characters spell out a section of the Lotus Sutra. The meticulous transcription of this influential text to create the outlines of a religious image is at once an artistic tour de force and a demonstration of religious piety.
The artist Katō Nobukiyo took lay Buddhist vows in his early fifties.
In 1788, he set out to paint five hundred disciples of Buddha called rakan (Sanskrit: arhat), placing ten figures on each of fifty hanging scrolls.
By 1792 his project was completed and the paintings dedicated to Ryūkōji Temple in Edo (present-day Tokyo).
From the wonderful Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Ten Rakan Examining a Painting of White-Robed Kannon © Metropolitan Museum of Art