Ten Rakan Examining a Painting of White-Robed Kannon

1788–92

Not on view

A close look at this picture reveals an extraordinary technical feat: every single element—figures, architecture, tree, even shading—is delineated in tiny Chinese characters that spell out a section of the Lotus Sutra. At once an artistic tour de force and a demonstration of remarkable religious piety, it was created by Katō Nobukiyo, a minor government official who took Buddhist vows in his early fifties. In 1788 he began creating a set of fifty-one painted scrolls. On all but one he painted ten rakan (enlightened followers of the Buddha); an image of the Buddha with attendant bodhisattvas appears on the fifty-first. In 1792 he dedicated the complete set (including this work) to Ryūkōji, temple in Edo (present-day Tokyo).

Artwork Details

加藤信清筆　羅漢図
Title: Ten Rakan Examining a Painting of White-Robed Kannon
Artist: Katō Nobukiyo (Japanese, 1734–1810)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: 1788–92
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 55 1/4 × 22 3/4 in. (140.3 × 57.8 cm)
Overall with mounting: 91 1/8 × 32 5/8 in. (231.5 × 82.9 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
Object Number: 2015.300.217
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Jizō Bosatsu Playing a Flute, Kano Tan'yū Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan — Jizō Bosatsu Playing a Flute
Kano Tan'yū
mid-17th century

Beauty of the Kanbun Era, Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on paper, Japan — Beauty of the Kanbun Era
Japan
late 17th century

White Plum Blossoms and Moon, Itō Jakuchū Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan — White Plum Blossoms and Moon
Itō Jakuchū
1755

Zhou Maoshu Admiring Lotuses, Kaihō Yūsetsu Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink on silk, Japan — Zhou Maoshu Admiring Lotuses
Kaihō Yūsetsu
mid-17th century

Goose and Reeds; Willows in the Moonlight, Maruyama Ōkyo 円山応挙 Japanese, Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color and gold on paper, Japan — Goose and Reeds; Willows in the Moonlight
Maruyama Ōkyo 円山応挙
right screen: 1774; left screen: 1793

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.