The Otani collection: heritage of Japanese expeditions to Eastern Turkestan

The article is devoted to the history of Japanese expeditions to Xinjiang led by Otani Kozui at the beginning of XX century. The Otani missions were famous by the unique Otani collection of Buddhist antiquities and ancient Chinese manuscripts acquired in the excavations. Scientific heritage of the Otani expeditions is analyzed in the article throughout pointing out main archaeological finds of the Otani collection, describing the artifacts' location at present.