is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. 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-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'' 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, and the anime films of Studio Ghibli, CoMix Wave Films, TMS Entertainment 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, who is featured in 32 of the company's films. Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah 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 via NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan), 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 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 af ...

and the Imperial Garden Theater in Tokyo; Toho and Shochiku enjoyed a duopoly over theaters in Tokyo for many years. In 1953, Toho had established Toho International, a Los Angeles-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 the Car ...

n and Latin American 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 Akira Kurosawa, 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 and Yasu ...

, 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 ed ...

, Toho took over the La Brea Theatre in Los Angeles 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 and opened a theater in New York City 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 (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007) and the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present). He also directed the 1 ...

'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 Saturd ...

'' (1972) *'' Warrior of Love: Rainbowman'' (1972) *'' Zone Fighter'' (1973) *''

Ike! Greenman is a tokusatsu television series Kyodai Hero kaiju produced by Toho in 1973. It ran from November 12, 1973, to September 27, 1974. It emerged as a follow-up series to ''Ike! Godman'', but the two share no continuity. Compared to the anthology-lik ...

'' (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'' (2004) *'' Chousei Kantai Sazer-X'' (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 in ...

'' (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'' (2013) **'' Galactic Armored Fleet Majestic Prince: Wings to the Future'' (2016) **'' Galactic Armored Fleet Majestic Prince: Genetic Awakening'' (2016) *'' Fantasista Doll'' (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 is a Japanese light novel series written by Ao Jūmonji and illustrated by Eiri Shirai. The story follows a group of people who suddenly find themselves in a fantasy world with no memories from before their arrival, and chronicles their str ...

'' (2016) *'' She and Her Cat: Everything Flows'' (2016) *'' My Hero Academia'' (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 Apri ...

'' (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 ...

'' (2017) *'' Teasing Master Takagi-san'' (2018) *'' Uma Musume Pretty Derby'' (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'' (2018) *''

FLCL Alternative The third season of the ''FLCL'' anime series, titled ''FLCL Alternative'', is produced by Production I.G, Toho, and Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, ...

'' (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 ...

'' (2019) *'' Dr. Stone'' (2019) *''

Business Fish is a fictional character created by Yuichiro Ohno and produced by the Japanese company Quan, Inc. Featuring a salaryman with the head of a fish, the character has been featured in a web comic series by Quan, Inc., as well as being known for it ...

'' (2019) *'' Beastars'' (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, pl ...

'' (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'' (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 2016 ...

'' (2021) *'' Godzilla Singular Point'' (2021) *'' Spy × Family'' (2022) *'' The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten'' (2023) *''

Kaiju No. 8 , also known in English as ''Monster #8'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto. It has been serialized for free on Shueisha's ''Shōnen Jump+'' application and website since July 2020, with its chapters collec ...

'' (2024)

Video games

* ''

Cliff Hanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

'' In more recent years and for a period, they have produced video games. 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 198 ...

''. 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 tradit ...

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

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...

'', 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,