Panthéon Bouddhique

The Panthéon Bouddhique began as the private passion of Émile Guimet, a wealthy industrialist from Lyon who traveled to Japan in 1876. He did not simply collect art objects for their beauty; he aimed to document the complex religious hierarchy of Japanese Buddhism. During his nine-week journey, he secured hundreds of sculptures and paintings specifically to illustrate the different ranks of the Buddhist pantheon. Today, the gallery continues to organize these works by that original hierarchical structure, ranging from buddhas and bodhisattvas down to historical figures who were later divinized. By entering the gallery, you are stepping into a display that mirrors the arrangement one would encounter within a traditional Buddhist temple.