This database is a comprehensive collection of articles from Nihon bijutsu nenkan (Year Book of Japanese Art), published by the Tokyo National Institute for Cultural Properties (Tobunken).

The Tokyo National Institute for Cultural Properties (Tobunken) continues to edit and publish the Nihon bijutsu nenkan (Year Book of Japanese Art), which its predecessor, the Art Research Institute, began publishing in 1936 (Shōwa 11).

Nihon bijutsu nenkan (Year Book of Japanese Art) is a compilation of art activities in Japan during the year in question, and though the structure has only changed slightly since it was first published, the main contents are a collection of reports from the art world, exhibitions held, a catalog of art related publications and obituaries. The collection of these materials continued during the periods when the books were not allowed to be published due to war and other reasons, and were published retrospectively, allowing us to continue to follow the movements of the art world from the first publication to the present day.