were present in Manchuria in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the Wróblewski family from Harbin, the Bednarskis, Kamińskis and Żaboklickis. Other donors who contributed significantly to the expansion of the collection were Jerzy Lobman, Irena Sławińska – Hu Peifang, Wawrzyniec and Brigitta Węclewicz, and Andrzej Strumiłło. The Museum holds a small collection of Japanese and Korean artefacts. The most interesting exhibits among the 240-plus Japanese collection are Buddhist sculptures dated to the 18th–19th century, 1895 war-themed woodcuts and an impressive uchikake wedding kimono. As for the 150-plus Korean stock, most of the items are late 20th-century North Korean paintings. An important characteristic of Mongolia, Tibet and the Himalayan countries culture is Tibetan Buddhism, also known as Vajrayana (Sanskrit: ‘diamond vehicle’). This tradition formed before the 6th century in India. In Tibet it emerged in the 7th century, adopting many elements of Bon. Starting from the 16th century, it spread to Mongolia, where it coexists with shamanism. The Museum holds over 2000 objects hailing from the region, including thankas (sacred paintings), woodcuts, sculptures, reliquaries, musical instruments, garments, and everyday objects. The Museum built up its collection of Central and East Asian artefacts mainly through purchases from artists and private individuals who travelled to the region for work. An important milestone was the acquisition of Buddhist thankas and Mongolian miniatures from Jan Petschel (in 1988 and 1996, respectively). Other valuabl