is a Japanese film,

theatre production Stagecraft is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing and rigging scenery; hanging and focusing of lighting; design and procurement of costumes; make-up; stage management; audio engineering; and pr ...

and

distribution company Distribution (or place) is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. Distribution is the process of making a product or service available for the consumer or business user who needs it. This can be done directly by the producer or service p ...

. It has its headquarters in

Chiyoda, Tokyo is a special ward located in central Tokyo, Japan. It is known as Chiyoda City in English.Profile< ...

, and is one of the core companies of the

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer and distributor of many ''

kaiju is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monster ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'' films, the Chouseishin ''tokusatsu''

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

television franchise, the films of

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

, and the

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 ...

films of Studio Ghibli, CoMix Wave Films,

TMS Entertainment , formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946. TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as '' Lupin the Third' ...

and OLM, Inc. All nine of the highest-grossing Japanese films are released by Toho. Other famous directors, including Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Masaki Kobayashi, and Mikio Naruse, also directed films for Toho. Toho's most famous creation is

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produ ...

, who is featured in 32 of the company's films. Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra,

King Ghidorah is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1964 film ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster''. Although the name of the character is officially trademarked by Toho as "King Ghidorah", the character was originally ...

and

Mechagodzilla is a fictional mecha character that first appeared in the 1974 film ''Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla''. In its debut appearance, Mechagodzilla is depicted as an extraterrestrial villain that confronts Godzilla. In subsequent iterations, Mechagodzill ...

are described as Toho's Big Five because of the monsters' numerous appearances throughout the franchise, as well as spin-offs. Toho has also been involved in the production of numerous anime titles. Its subdivisions are Toho-Towa Company, Limited (Japanese exclusive theatrical distributor of

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

via

NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan (abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distribution of anime within Japan. The ...

), Towa Pictures Company Limited (Japanese exclusive theatrical distributor of

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

), Toho Pictures Incorporated, Toho International Company Limited, Toho E. B. Company Limited, and Toho Music Corporation & Toho Costume Company Limited. The company is the largest shareholder (7.96%) of Fuji Media Holdings Inc. Toho is one of the four members of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ), and it is the largest of Japan's Big Four film studios.

History

Toho was created by the founder of the Hankyu Railway, Ichizō Kobayashi, in 1932 as the . It managed much of the

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought ...

in Tokyo and, among other properties, the eponymous

Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre is another home for Takarazuka Creative Arts in Yurakucho, Chiyoda ward, Tokyo. It served as the second round performing theater for the Revue's performing cycle. The original theater was built in 1934. It was taken over by the American GHQ ...

and the

Imperial Garden Theater The , often referred to simply as the Teigeki (帝劇), and previously the Imperial Garden Theater, is a Japanese theater located in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan operated by Toho. History Opened in 1911 as the first Western-style theater i ...

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 ...

; Toho and

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not al ...

enjoyed a duopoly over theaters in Tokyo for many years. In 1953, Toho had established Toho International, a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

-based subsidiary intended to target

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

n and

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

n markets. ''Seven Samurai'' was amongst the first films offered for foreign sales. Toho and Shochiku competed with the influx of Hollywood films and boosted the film industry by focusing on new directors of the likes of

, Kon Ichikawa,

Keisuke Kinoshita was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Ronald Berganbr>"A satirical eye on Japan: Keisuke Kinoshita" ''The Guardian'', 5 January 1999. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi an ...

, Ishirō Honda, and Kaneto Shindo. After several successful film exports to the United States during the 1950s through

Henry G. Saperstein Henry Gahagen Saperstein (June 2, 1918 – June 24, 1998) was an American film producer and distributor. Biography The son of Aaron Saperstein and Beatrice Pearl Saperstein, Henry's father owned five independent cinemas in Chicago. Henry was ...

, Toho took over the La Brea Theatre in

to show its own films without the need to sell them to a distributor. It was known as the Toho Theatre from the late 1960s until the 1970s. Toho also had a theater in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

and opened a theater in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1963. The Shintoho Company, which existed until 1961, was named New Toho because it broke off from the original company. Toho has contributed to the production of some American films, including

Sam Raimi Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007) and the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present). He also directed the 1990 superhero film ''Darkman'' ...

's 1998 film, '' A Simple Plan'' and Paul W. S. Anderson's 2020 military science fiction/

film, '' Monster Hunter''. In 2019, Toho invested ¥15.4 billion ($14 million) into their Los Angeles-based subsidiary Toho International Inc. as part of their "Toho Vision 2021 Medium-term Management Strategy", a strategy to increase content, platform, real-estate, beat JPY50 billion profits, and increase character businesses on Toho intellectual properties such as Godzilla. Hiroyasu Matsuoka was named the representative director of the US subsidiary. In 2020, Toho acquired a 34.8% stake in the animation studio TIA, with ILCA and Anima each retaining a 32.6% stake. In 2022, Toho acquired Anima's 32.6% stake to take a controlling 67.4% stake in TIA, making the studio a subsidiary, and ultimately renaming the studio into Toho Animation Studios.

Major productions and distributions

Film

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Upcoming films

Television

Tokusatsu

*''

Ike! Godman is a Japanese tokusatsu Kyodai Hero kaiju television series by Toho. It ran from October 5, 1972, to April 10, 1973. It was pulled from reruns on September 28, 1973, and it was replaced by ''Ike! Greenman''. While on air Monday through Saturday ...

'' (1972) *'' Warrior of Love: Rainbowman'' (1972) *''

Zone Fighter ''Zone Fighter'', known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction superhero television series. Produced by Toho Company Ltd., the show aired on Nippon Television from April 2 to September 24, 1973, with a total of 26 episodes. This was Toh ...

'' (1973) *'' Ike! Greenman'' (1973) *''Warrior Of Light: Diamond Eye'' (1973) *'' Flying Saucer War Bankid'' (1976) *'' Megaloman'' (1979) *'' Electronic Brain Police Cybercop'' (1988) *'' Seven Stars Fighting God Guyferd'' (1996) *'' Stickin' Around'' (1996-1998) *'' Godzilla Island'' (1997) *'' Chouseishin Gransazer'' (2003) *''

Genseishin Justirisers , translated into English as ''Phantom Star God Justirisers'' is a tokusatsu superhero TV series produced by Toho and airing on TV Tokyo. This series is the second in Toho's Seishin (Star God) series. The show aired 51 episodes between October 2, ...

'' (2004) *''

Chousei Kantai Sazer-X translated as ''Super Star Fleet Sazer-X'' is a tokusatsu superhero TV series produced by Toho Company Ltd., and Konami. This series is the third in Toho's Seishin (Star God) series. The series lasted 38 episodes and was the last of the Chouse ...

'' (2005) *''Kawaii! Jenny'' (2007) *''Godziban'' (2019–present)

Anime

*''

Belle and Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" come ...

'' (1981) *''

Igano Kabamaru is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yū Azuki. The eponymous protagonist is a naive young ninja from the Iga province called Kagemaru (absolute shadow), nicknamed Kabamaru (hippo's mouth) for his insatiable appetite. After ...

'' (1983) *'' Touch'' (1985) *'' Kimagure Orange Road'' (1987) *'' Baoh'' (1989) *''

Godzilland , or ''Godzillaland'', refers to a series of Japanese children's educational television series produced by Toho and based on the ''Godzilla'' franchise. The first series, a trivia show titled , aired on TV Tokyo in 1992. The series was i ...

'' (1992) *'' Shimajiro'' (1993–present) *'' Midori Days'' (co-production) (2004)

Toho Animation

Toho Animation is a Japanese anime production founded in 2012, and owned by Toho Co., Ltd., which is one of the top three film distributors in Japan. *'' Psycho-Pass'' (2012) *''

Majestic Prince Majestic Prince (March 19, 1966 – April 22, 1981) was a Thoroughbred racehorse. One of the leading North American horses of his generation, he won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 1969. Background In September 1967, Majestic Prince ...

'' (2013) **'' Galactic Armored Fleet Majestic Prince: Wings to the Future'' (2016) **'' Galactic Armored Fleet Majestic Prince: Genetic Awakening'' (2016) *''

Fantasista Doll is a Japanese anime television series produced by Hoods Entertainment and directed by Hisashi Saitō. Gorō Taniguchi serves as the creative producer, while the series composition is handled by Noboru Kimura and Yūko Kakihara. The seri ...

'' (2013) *'' Meganebu!'' (2013) *'' Yowamushi Pedal'' (2013) *''

Engaged to the Unidentified is a Japanese four-panel manga by Cherry-Arai. The strip was serialized in Ichijinsha's ''Manga 4-Koma Palette'' magazine from April 2009 to February 2022, when it was transferred to ''Monthly Comic Rex'' upon that magazine ceasing public ...

'' (2014) *'' One Week Friends'' (2014) *'' Haikyū!!'' (2014) *''

Ao Haru Ride is a Japanese '' shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Io Sakisaka. It began serialization in the February 2011 issue of Shueisha's '' Bessatsu Margaret'' and ended in February 2015. ''Ao Haru Ride'' received several adaptation ...

'' (2014) *'' Blood Blockade Battlefront'' (2015) *'' Chaos Dragon'' (2015) *'' Monster Musume'' (2015) *''

Himouto! Umaru-chan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sankaku Head. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Jump'' from March 2013 to November 2017, with its chapters collected in twelve ''tankōbon'' v ...

'' (2015) **'' Himouto! Umaru-chan R'' (2017) *'' Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash'' (2016) *'' She and Her Cat: Everything Flows'' (2016) *''

My Hero Academia is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 2014, with its chapters additionally collected i ...

'' (2016) *''

Three Leaves, Three Colors is a Japanese four-panel manga series by Cherry Arai, serialized in Houbunsha's ''Manga Time Kirara'' magazine since February 2003 and fourteen ''tankōbon'' volumes have been collected so far. An anime adaptation by Doga Kobo aired from Apr ...

'' (2016) *'' Orange'' (2016) *'' Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru'' (2016) **'' Zoku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru'' (2018) **'' Toku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru ~Setsugetsuka~'' (2022) *'' Little Witch Academia'' (2017) *''

Sakura Quest is a 25-episode Japanese anime television series produced by P.A. Works and directed by Sōichi Masui. It aired from April 5 to September 20, 2017. The anime is described as part of P.A. Works' "working series", which tells the stories about p ...

'' (2017) *''

Land of the Lustrous is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruko Ichikawa. It is published by Kodansha in ''Monthly Afternoon'' magazine since October 2012, with its chapters collected in eleven ''tankōbon'' volumes as of July 2020. Set in a w ...

'' (2017) *'' Teasing Master Takagi-san'' (2018) *''

Uma Musume Pretty Derby is a multimedia franchise created by Cygames. A mobile game for iOS and Android was scheduled to debut in late 2018 and then delayed to February 2021. A 13-episode anime television series adaptation by P.A. Works aired from April ...

'' (2018) *''

Hanebado! , also known as ''The Badminton Play of Ayano Hanesaki!'' or ''Hanebad!'', is a Japanese sports manga series by Kōsuke Hamada. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''good! Afternoon'' from June 7, 2013 to October 7, 2019 ...

'' (2018) *'' Run with the Wind'' (2018) *''

Anima Yell! is a Japanese four-panel manga series by Tsukasa Unohana. It was serialized in Houbunsha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Manga Time Kirara Carat'' from its April 2016 to October 2020 issues and has been collected in five ''tankōbon'' volumes ...

'' (2018) *''

FLCL Progressive The second season of the ''FLCL'' anime series, titled ''FLCL Progressive'', is produced by Production I.G, Toho, and Adult Swim's production arm Williams Street. ''Progressive'' was chief directed by Katsuyuki Motohiro, with screenplay by Hideto ...

'' (2018) *''

FLCL Alternative The third season of the ''FLCL'' anime series, titled ''FLCL Alternative'', is produced by Production I.G, Toho, and Adult Swim's production arm Williams Street. ''Alternative'' was chief directed by Katsuyuki Motohiro and co-directed by Yutaka U ...

'' (2018) *''

Fairy Gone ''Fairy Gone'' (stylized as ''Fairy gone'') is a Japanese anime television series produced by P.A. Works that aired from April to December 2019. Plot In the aftermath of the War of Unification, all the nations of the continent of Eastald are f ...

'' (2019) *''

Dr. Stone ''Dr. Stone'' (stylized as ''Dr.STONE'') is a Japanese manga series written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by the South Korean artist Boichi. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from March 2017 to March 2022, with ...

'' (2019) *'' Business Fish'' (2019) *''

Beastars ''Beastars'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki. It was serialized in Akita Shoten's ''Weekly Shōnen Champion'' from September 2016 to October 2020, with its chapters collected in 22 '' ...

'' (2019) *''

Azur Lane ''Azur Lane'' () is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game created by Chinese developers Shanghai Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi, released in 2017 for the iOS and Android operating systems. Set in an alternate timeline of World War II, p ...

'' (2019) *'' Drifting Dragons'' (2020) *'' BNA: Brand New Animal'' (2020) *'' Great Pretender'' (2020) *'' Dorohedoro'' (2020) *''

Jujutsu Kaisen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since March 2018, with its chapters collected and published in 21 ''tankōbon'' vo ...

'' (2020) *''

Mushoku Tensei is a Japanese light novel series by and illustrated by Shirotaka. The series is about a jobless and hopeless man who dies after having a sad and withdrawn life and reincarnates in a fantasy world while keeping his memories, determin ...

'' (2021) *''

Seven Knights ''Seven Knights'' (, ja, セブンナイツ, Sebun Naitsu) is a series of online free-to-play role-playing game created by Netmarble. The first game was released for Android and iOS devices in March 2014 in South Korea and in February 201 ...

'' (2021) *''

Godzilla Singular Point is a Japanese anime television series co-produced by the animation studios Bones and Orange. Licensed by Netflix and directed by Atsushi Takahashi, the series premiered on March 25, 2021 on Netflix in Japan, and on Tokyo MX and other channel ...

'' (2021) *'' Spy × Family'' (2022) *''

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten is a Japanese light novel series written by Saekisan and illustrated by Hanekoto. Originally published online on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, SB Creative has released eight volumes of the series under their GA Bunko label since June 2019. Yen Pre ...

'' (2023) *'' Kaiju No. 8'' (2024)

Video games

* '' Cliff Hanger'' In more recent years and for a period, they have produced

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...

s. One of their first video games was the 1990 NES game titled ''

Circus Caper ''Circus Caper'', known as in Japan, is the title of a side-scrolling Nintendo Entertainment System video game where the player controls a young boy on a quest to save his sister who has been kidnapped by the circus. The game was released in ...

''. Later, they followed with a series of games based on Godzilla and a 1992 game called '' Serizawa Nobuo no Birdy Try''. It also published games such as ''

Super Aleste ''Space Megaforce'', known in Japan and Europe as , is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Compile. It was published by Toho in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as part of the ''Aleste'' series. In a tradi ...

'' (''Space Megaforce'' in North America). They even worked with

Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine ...

on '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', released in Japan in 1988 and in the United States in 1989.

Toho Cinderella Audition

The Toho Cinderella Audition is an audition to discover new young actresses, first held in 1984 and irregularly held since then. It is considered one of Japan's "Big Three Actress Auditions", along with Oscar Promotion's National Bishōjo Contest and Horipro's Talent Scout Caravan.

Headquarters

Toho's headquarters, the , are in Yūrakuchō,

Chiyoda, Tokyo is a special ward located in central Tokyo, Japan. It is known as Chiyoda City in English.Profile< ...

. The company moved into its current headquarters in April 2005.会社の沿革
. Toho. Retrieved on February 26, 2010. "2005年4月東宝本社を東宝日比谷ビル（東京都千代田区有楽町一丁目2－2）に移転。"

References

Sources

External links

*
Official Toho YouTube channel.

TOHO-TOWA Company, Limited official website

TOWA PICTURES Company, Ltd. official websiteToho Company on IMDb
* {{Authority control Anime companies Japanese film studios Mass media companies based in Tokyo Distribution companies based in Tokyo Film distributors of Japan Mass media companies established in 1932 Japanese brands Midori-kai Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Hankyu Hanshin Holdings 1932 establishments in Japan Video game companies of Japan Video game development companies Video game publishers

History

Major productions and distributions

Film

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Upcoming films

Television

Tokusatsu

Anime

Toho Animation

Video games

Toho Cinderella Audition

Headquarters

See also

References

Sources

External links