() (also styled TOEI) is a Japanese film, television production, and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

and video game developer and publishing company. Based in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan (all but two of them operated by its subsidiary, T-Joy), studios at Tokyo and

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...

; and is a shareholder in several television companies. It is notable for creating

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

programming known as

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

, and

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

dramas known as

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is someti ...

which use

special visual effects Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtua ...

. It also creates historical dramas (

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning " period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—'' Portrait o ...

). Outside Japan, it is known as the controlling shareholder of

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including '' Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Sl ...

and the owner of the ''

Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media gener ...

'' and ''

Super Sentai is a Japanese superhero team metaseries and media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company, and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi (" Sentai" is the Japanese word for "task force" or "fighting squadron"). The ...

'' franchises. Toei is one of the four members of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ), and is therefore one of Japan's Big Four film studios. The name "Toei" is derived from the company's former name .

History

Toei's predecessor, the , was incorporated in 1938. It was founded by Keita Goto, CEO of , the direct predecessor to the

Tokyu Corporation The is a Japanese multinational ''keiretsu'' (conglomerate) holding company headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. Its main operation is , a wholly owned subsidiary operating railways in the Greater Tokyo Area. History The oldest predecessor o ...

. It had erected its facilities immediately east of the

Tōkyū Tōyoko Line The is a major railway line connecting Tokyo ( Shibuya) to Yokohama. The line is owned and operated by the private railway operator Tokyu Corporation. The name of the line, ''Tōyoko'' (東横), is a combination of the first characters of ''Tō ...

; they managed the Tōkyū Shibuya Yokohama

studio system A studio system is a method of filmmaking wherein the production and distribution of films is dominated by a small number of large movie studios. It is most often used in reference to Hollywood motion picture studios during the Golden Age of Hol ...

prior to V-J Day. From 1945 through the Toei merger, Tokyo-Yokohama Films leased from the

Daiei Motion Picture Company Daiei Film Co. Ltd. (Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki gaisha, Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese c ...

a second studio in Kyoto. On October 1, 1950, the Tokyo Film Distribution Company was incorporated as a subsidiary of Toyoko Eiga; in 1951 the company purchased Ōizumi Films. The current iteration of Toei was established on April 1, 1951. Through the merger, they gained the combined talents and experience of actors

Chiezō Kataoka (March 30, 1903 – March 31, 1983) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. Career Born in 1903 in Gunma Prefecture (his real name was Masayoshi Ueki), he was raised in Tokyo. As a child he began ...

, Utaemon Ichikawa, Ryunosuke Tsukigata, Ryūtarō Ōtomo, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Chiyonosuke Azuma, Shirunosuke Toshin, Hashizo Okawa, and Satomi Oka. In 1955, they purchased the Kyoto studio from Daiei. In 1956, Toei established an animation division, Toei Animation Company, Limited at the former Tokyo-Ōizumi animation studio, purchasing the assets of , founded in 1948. Toei was a pioneer in the use of "Henshin"/"character transformation" in live-action martial-arts dramas, a technique developed for the ''

'', '' Metal Hero'' and ''

'' series; the genre currently continues with ''Kamen Rider'' and ''Super Sentai''. In September 1964, Toei leaves the Tokyu Corporation. In 1972, Toei started to distribute foreign films in Japan. In 1975, they opened a theme park at Kyoto Studio, the Toei Kyoto Studio Park.

Toei films

Toei started producing films in 1953. This list compiles the films by their original release date, their common English titles and Japanese titles. The Japanese titles are not necessarily direct translations of their English counterparts. For feature films, Toei established itself as a producer of

B-movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

, that were made to fit into double bills and triple bills. It is predominantly known in the west for its series of action films and television series.

Toei animation films

Toei produced/distributed shows

Video games

* '' Ninja Hayate'' (1984) * '' Time Gal'' (1985) * '' The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO'' (1994) * ''

Chameleon Twist is a platform game developed by Japan System Supply and published for the Nintendo 64 in 1997 by Sunsoft. Though disliked by critics due to its easy gameplay, repetitive music, and awkward camera angles, ''Chameleon Twist'' was followed by a se ...

'' (1997) * ''

Chameleon Twist 2 is a 1998 video game developed by Japan System Supply, published by Japan System Supply in Japan, and published by Sunsoft in North America and Europe for the Nintendo 64. It is the sequel to ''Chameleon Twist''. Story The story of ''Chamele ...

'' (1998)

Saburo Yatsude

is a collective

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

used by Toei Company television producers, and formerly

producers, when contributing to their various

and

series; similar to

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology ...

Hajime Yatate is a pseudonym for the collective contributions of the Sunrise animation staff. Name "Hajime Yatate" is considered to be named after a quote of Matsuo Bashō's '' Oku no Hosomichi'': Credited series This collective entity is credited as the ...

. The use of the pen name began with ''

The Kagestar ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

'' and has been used throughout the

(in the adapted

Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise '' Super Sentai''. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, second by BVS ...

series starting with '' Ninja Storm'', the credits list ''Saburo Hatte.'' Before this, the credits listed "Original Concepts by Saburo Yatsude") and Metal Hero Series as well as for '' Spider-Man'', ''

Choukou Senshi Changéríon is a '' tokusatsu'' series created by Toei Company. The series aired from April 3, 1996, to December 25, 1996. It was originally planned to run for a full 52 episodes before being cut down to 39 due to low ratings. Plot The DarkZide stealthily ...

'', '' Video Warrior Laserion'', '' Chōdenji Robo Combattler V'', '' Chōdenji Machine Voltes V'', '' Tōshō Daimos'', '' Daltanius'', '' Space Emperor God Sigma'', ''

Beast King GoLion is a Japanese super robot anime television series. The animation from ''GoLion'' was edited and trimmed to create the version of the American '' Voltron: Defender of the Universe'' series, with new names and dialogue. In 2008, ''GoLion'' wa ...

'' and '' Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV''. The name is also used as a contributor to the soundtracks for the series. Toei Animation stopped using Saburo Yatsude in 1999, and they began to use

Izumi Todo , credited with creating series like ''Ojamajo Doremi'' and '' Pretty Cure'', is a collective pen name used by Toei Animation television producers when contributing to their various anime series. Pseudonyms used in a similar manner include Hajime ...

instead. The first anime that was created by Izumi Todo was ''

Ojamajo Doremi , alternatively titled ''Magical DoReMi'' in English, is a Japanese magical girl anime television series created by Toei Animation. It focuses on a group of elementary school girls, led by Doremi Harukaze, who become witch appren ...

''. In the ''

Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger is a Japanese tokusatsu comedy drama based on the Super Sentai Series. It is not part of the official line up in Toei Company's Super Sentai franchise, but is instead a self-parody geared towards adults who were fans of the franchise as chil ...

'' series, Saburo Hatte is an actual person who is godlike within the fictional reality that the show takes place in. In fact, his hand appears at the end of the first half of the series to cover the camera lens and end the show, later having the second half be made under Malseena's influence while in the hospital in the real world. In the ''

Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger is a Japanese Tokusatsu drama and the 40th entry of Toei's long-running Super Sentai metaseries, following '' Shuriken Sentai Ninninger''. ''Zyuohger'' premiered February 14, 2016, joining '' Kamen Rider Ghost'', and later, '' Kamen Rider Ex-Ai ...

'' spinoff, ''Super Animal Wars third episode, he is portrayed by Jun Hikasa. On April 3, 2016, an unknown Toei staff member going by Saburo Yatsude was interviewed while wearing a "Giraffe Zyuman" mask in reference to ''Zyuohger''.

Original creator

Live action

* ''

'' (1976-1977) * ''

Ninja Captor is a Japanese tokusatsu TV series which aired from April 7, 1976 to January 26, 1977. It appeared on TV Tokyo, Channel 12, and was produced by Toei Company, Ltd. ''Ninja Captor'' is similar to Toei's own Super Sentai series (it has been someti ...

'' (1976-1977) * '' Spider-Man'' (1978-1979) * ''

'' (1979–present) * '' Metal Hero Series'' (1982-1999) * ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (2012-2013)

Anime

* ''

Robot Romance Trilogy The were three Super Robot anime series created by "Saburo Yatsude" (a collective name for the staff at Toei), directed by Tadao Nagahama, and aired on TV Asahi and its affiliates from late 1976 through early 1979. The trilogy, consisting of ' ...

'' (1976-1979) * ''

Future Robot Daltanious is an anime television series which aired on Tokyo Channel 12 from March 21, 1979 to March 5, 1980. Produced by Toei Animation, with animation co-produced by Nippon Sunrise, consisting of 47 episodes. Plot In 1995, Earth has been conquere ...

'' (1979-1980) * '' Space Emperor God Sigma'' (1980-1981) * ''

'' (1981-1982) * '' Armored Fleet Dairugger XV'' (1982-1983) * '' Lightspeed Electroid Albegas'' (1983-1984) * '' Video Warrior Laserion'' (1984-1985)

Script

Television

* ''Sore Kara no Musashi'' (1964-1965) * ''

Mito Kōmon is a Japanese ''jidaigeki'' or period drama that was on prime-time television from 1969 to 2011, making it the longest-running ''jidaigeki'' in Japanese television history. The title character is the historic Tokugawa Mitsukuni, former vice-''s ...

'' (1964-1965) * '' Tensou Sentai Goseiger'' (2010) * '' Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger'' (2021) * ''

Avataro Sentai Donbrothers is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television drama, the 46th entry in Toei's long-running ''Super Sentai'' series and the third produced in the Reiwa era. The series is a semi-sequel to the previous entry, '' Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger'', and premiered ...

'' (2022)

Web series

* '' From Episode of Stinger - Uchu Sentai Kyuranger: High School Wars'' (2017) * '' Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger Spin-Off: Zenkai Red Great Introduction!'' (2021) * '' Avataro Sentai Donbrothers Meets Kamen Rider Den-O: Aim! Don-O'' (2022)

Director

* '' Nebula Mask Machineman'' (1984)

References

Footnotes

Sources

* * *

External links

Toei webpage
* * * * * - a ''Hollywood Reporter'' article detailing Toei's receiving MIPTV's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 {{Authority control Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Japanese companies established in 1950 Anime companies Mass media companies based in Tokyo Companies listed on the Osaka Exchange Film distributors of Japan Japanese film studios Mass media companies established in 1950 Television production companies of Japan Japanese brands Video game companies of Japan Video game development companies Video game publishers