() (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 vari ...

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 largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

, 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 c ...

; 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 Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, 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 Japane ...

, 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 som ...

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). 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. Slu ...

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 genera ...

'' 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 ...

. 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 ''Tōky ...

; 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 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 bega ...

Utaemon Ichikawa was a Japanese film actor famous for starring roles in jidaigeki from the 1920s to the 1960s. Trained in kabuki from childhood, he made his film debut in 1925 at Makino Film Productions under Shōzō Makino. Quickly gaining popularity, he follo ...

, Ryunosuke Tsukigata,

Ryūtarō Ōtomo (5 June 1912 – 27 September 1985) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. In 1936, he made his debut in movies with the film ''Aozura Roshi''. He ended his life by leaping from the top of a b ...

, Kinnosuke Nakamura,

Chiyonosuke Azuma was a Japanese actor and dancer. He appeared in more than 40 films from 1954 to 1993. Career Born in Tokyo, Azuma attended the Tokyo University of the Arts, while studying Japanese dance under Bandō Mitsugorō VIII. He joined the Toei studio ...

, Shirunosuke Toshin,

Hashizo Okawa was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than one hundred Jidaigeki films from 1955 to 1967. Biography Born in Tokyo, the son of a Yanagibashi geisha, he was soon adopted by the Ono (小野) family. His adoptive father was a kabuki act ...

, and Satomi Oka. In 1955, they purchased the Kyoto studio from Daiei. In 1956, Toei established an

animation 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 ...

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 is a theme park and film set modeled after the Edo period located in Kyoto, Japan that opened its doors in 1975. It is situated in Toei Company's Kyoto Studio where movies have been produced. Projects filmed at the park include Sebastiano S ...

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 feature ...

, 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 s ...

'' (1997) * '' Chameleon Twist 2'' (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 individu ...

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 A ...

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 already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' 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 E ...

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 Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

'', '' Choukou Senshi Changéríon'', ''

Video Warrior Laserion is a Japanese anime television series animated by Toei Animation. It aired on TBS from March 4, 1984, to February 3, 1985. It is also referred to as ''Rezarion'', ''Laserion'' and its literal translation ''Video Senshi Laserion''. It was bro ...

'', '' Chōdenji Robo Combattler V'', '' Chōdenji Machine Voltes V'', '' Tōshō Daimos'', '' Daltanius'', '' Space Emperor God Sigma'', '' Beast King GoLion'' and ''

Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV is a mecha anime series aired in Japan from 1982 to 1983. It is also referred to as ''Dairugger 15'', ''Dairugger XV'', ''Armored Armada Dairugger XV'', ''Armored Squadron Dairugger XV'', or ''Machine Platoon Dairugger''. It ran for 56 episo ...

''. 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''. In the '' Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger'' 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'' 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) * ''

'' (1978-1979) * ''

'' (1979–present) * '' Metal Hero Series'' (1982-1999) * '' Choukou Senshi Changéríon'' (1996) * '' Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger'' (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 conquered ...

'' (1979-1980) * '' Space Emperor God Sigma'' (1980-1981) * '' Beast King GoLion'' (1981-1982) * '' Armored Fleet Dairugger XV'' (1982-1983) * '' Lightspeed Electroid Albegas'' (1983-1984) * ''

'' (1984-1985)

Script

Television

* ''Sore Kara no Musashi'' (1964-1965) * '' Mito Kōmon'' (1964-1965) * '' Tensou Sentai Goseiger'' (2010) * '' Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger'' (2021) * '' Avataro Sentai Donbrothers'' (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