Tsuburaya
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

was a Japanese special effects director, filmmaker, and cinematographer. A co-creator of the ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
'' and ''
Ultraman The , also known as ''Ultraman'', is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series '' Ultra Q'' in 1966. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, fi ...
'' franchises, he is considered one of the most important and influential figures in the history of cinema. Tsuburaya is known as the having pioneered Japan's special effects industry and introduced several technological developments in film productions. In a career spanning five decades, Tsuburaya worked on approximately 250 films—including globally renowned features directed by
Ishirō Honda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 46 feature films in a career spanning five decades. He is acknowledged as the most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki and one of the founders of modern disaster film, wit ...
,
Hiroshi Inagaki was a Japanese filmmaker who worked on over 100 films in a career spanning over five decades. He is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed filmmakers in the history of Japanese cinema, having directed several ''jidaigeki'' epics s ...
, and
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...
—and earned six Japan Technical Awards. Following a brief stint as an inventor, Tsuburaya was employed by Japanese cinema pioneer Yoshirō Edamasa in 1919 and began his career working as an assistant cinematographer on Edamasa's ''A Tune of Pity''. Thereafter, he worked as an assistant cinematographer on several films, including
Teinosuke Kinugasa was a Japanese filmmaker and actor. His best-known films include the Silent film, silent Experimental film, avant-garde films ''A Page of Madness'' and ''Crossroads (1928 film), Crossroads'' and the Academy Awards, Academy Award-winning historic ...
's ''
A Page of Madness is a 1926 Japanese Silent film, silent Experimental film, experimental Horror film, horror film directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. Lost film, Lost for 45 years until it was rediscovered by Kinugasa in his storehouse in 1971, the film is the produc ...
'' (1926). At the age of thirty-two, Tsuburaya watched ''
King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...
'', which greatly influenced him to work in special effects. Tsuburaya completed the first iron shooting crane in October 1934, and an adaptation of the crane is still in use across the globe today. After filming his directorial debut on the cruiser '' Asama'' in the Pacific Ocean, he worked on ''
Princess Kaguya is a (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the form. The story details ...
'' (1935), one of Japan's first major films to incorporate special effects. His first majorly successful film in effects, '' The Daughter of the Samurai'' (1937), remarkably featured the first full-scale
rear projection Rear projection (background projection, process photography, etc.) is one of many in-camera effects cinematic techniques in film production for combining foreground performances with pre-filmed backgrounds. It was widely used for many years i ...
. In 1937, Tsuburaya was employed by
Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
and established the company's effects department. Tsuburaya directed the effects for '' The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya'' in 1942, which became the highest-grossing Japanese film in history upon its release. His elaborate effects were believed to be behind the film's major success, and he won an award for his work from the Japan Motion Picture Cinematographers Association. In 1948, however, Tsuburaya was
purged In history, religion and political science, a purge is a position removal or execution of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, another, their team leaders, or society as a whole. A group undertaking such an ...
from Toho by the
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers The Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (), or SCAP, was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the United States-led Allied occupation of Japan following World War II. It issued SCAP Directives (alias SCAPIN, SCAP Index Number) ...
because of his involvement in
propaganda film A propaganda film is a film that involves some form of propaganda. Propaganda films spread and promote certain ideas that are usually religious, political, or cultural in nature. A propaganda film is made with the intent that the viewer will ad ...
s during World War II. Thus, he founded Tsuburaya Special Technology Laboratory with his eldest son Hajime and worked without credit at major Japanese studios outside Toho, creating effects for films such as
Daiei , based in Kobe, Hyōgo, is one of the largest supermarket chains in Japan. In 1957, Isao Nakauchi founded the chain in Osaka near Sembayashi Station on the Keihan train line. Daiei is now under a restructuring process supported by Marubeni ...
's ''
The Invisible Man Appears is a 1949 Japanese science fiction, Japanese science fiction tokusatsu film directed by Nobuo Adachi, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was loosely based on H. G. Wells' 1897 ''The Invisible Man'' and produced by Daiei Film, the f ...
'' (1949), widely regarded as the first Japanese science fiction film. In 1950, Tsuburaya returned to Toho alongside his effects crew from Tsuburaya Special Technology Laboratory. At age fifty-three, he gained international recognition and won his first Japan Technical Award for Special Skill for directing the effects in Ishirō Honda's ''
kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...
'' film ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
'' (1954). He served as the effects director for Toho's string of financially successful ''tokusatsu'' films that followed, including, ''
Rodan is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film of the same name, produced and distributed by Toho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numer ...
'' (1956), ''
The Mysterians is a 1957 Japanese epic science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the first Honda-Tsuburaya collaboration filmed in both color and TohoScope, and s ...
'' (1957), ''
The Three Treasures is a 1959 Japanese epic film, epic List of religious films, religious fantasy film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Toho as their celebratory thousandth film, it was the most expensive Japanese fil ...
'' (1959), ''
Mothra is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's '' 1961 film of the same name'', produced and distributed by Toho. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''tokusatsu'' films, often as a recur ...
'', '' The Last War'' (both 1961), and ''
King Kong vs. Godzilla is a 1962 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it is the third film in both the ''Godzilla'' and ''King Kong'' franchises, as well as the first T ...
'' (1962). In April 1963, Tsuburaya founded Tsuburaya Special Effects Productions; his company would go onto produce the television shows ''
Ultra Q is a 1966 Japanese ''tokusatsu'' ''kaiju'' television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya, first broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) on January 2, 1966 and having its twenty-eighth and final episode aired on December 14, 1967. This series w ...
'', ''
Ultraman The , also known as ''Ultraman'', is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series '' Ultra Q'' in 1966. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, fi ...
'' (both 1966), ''
Ultraseven is a List of Japanese television series, Japanese ''tokusatsu'' Science fiction on television, science fiction television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the second entry (third overall) in the Ultra Series and was produced by Tsuburaya ...
'' (1967–1968), and ''
Mighty Jack is a tokusatsu science fiction/espionage/action TV series. Created by Japanese effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya, the show was produced by Tsuburaya Productions and was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 6, 1968 to June 29, 1968, with a total of 13 on ...
'' (1968). ''Ultra Q'' and ''Ultraman'' were extremely successful upon their 1966 broadcast, with ''Ultra Q'' making him a household name in Japan and gaining him more attention from the media who dubbed him the "God of ''Tokusatsu''". While he spent his late years working on several Toho films and operating his company, Tsuburaya's health began to decline, and he died in 1970.


Biography


Childhood to war years: 1901–1945


Childhood and youth (1901–1919)

Eiji Tsuburaya was born on July 7, 1901, at a merchant house called Ōtsukaya in
Sukagawa file:Sukagawa City Hall.jpg, 270px, Sukagawa City Hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 76,251 in 38824 households, and a population density of 270 persons per km2. The tot ...
, Iwase,
Fukushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...
, where his family ran a malted rice business. He was the first son of Isamu Shiraishi and Sei Tsumuraya, with a large extended family. When Tsuburaya was three years old, his mother Sei died of illness at the age of nineteen, shortly after giving birth to her second son. Bereaved by Sei's death, Shiraishi divorced her posthumously and left the family, leaving Tsuburaya in the care of his grandmother Natsu. Through Natsu, Tsuburaya was related to the
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
painter Aōdō Denzen, who brought copper printing and Western painting to Japan, from whom Tsuburaya considered to have inherited his manual dexterity. His uncle Ichirō, who was Sei's younger brother, was five years older than him and acted like an elder brother to him. Thus, Tsuburaya began to use the nickname Eiji ("ji" indicating second-born) instead of Eiichi ("ichi" indicating first-born). In 1908, he started attending the Dai'ichi Jinjo Koto Elementary School in Sukagawa, and it was soon realized that he had a talent for drawing. During his boyhood, Tsuburaya became interested in flying because of the recent success of Japanese aviators; he soon started building model airplanes as a hobby, an interest he would pursue throughout his entire life. In 1913, Tsuburaya saw his first film, which featured footage of a volcanic eruption on
Sakurajima Sakurajima (, ) is an active composite volcano, stratovolcano, formerly an island and now a peninsula, in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The lava flows of the 1914 eruption connected it with the Ōsumi Peninsula. It is the most active vo ...
; in the process, he was more fascinated by the projector than the movie itself. In 1958, Tsuburaya told ''
Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...
'' that because he was extremely fascinated by the projector, he purchased a "toy movie viewer" and created his own film strips by "carefully cutting rolled paper, then making sprocket holes, and drawing stick figures n the paper frame by frame." Because of his craftwork at a young age, he became a provincial celebrity and was interviewed by the '. In 1915, at the age of 14, he graduated from
junior high school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes ...
, and begged his family to let him enroll in the Nippon
Flying School Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...
at
Haneda , also known as and sometimes abbreviated to ''Tokyo-Haneda'', is the busier of the two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary domestic base of J ...
. After the school was closed on account of the accidental death of its founder, Seitaro Tamai, in 1917, Tsuburaya switched to the Tokyo Kanda Electrical Engineering School (now
Tokyo Denki University is a private university in Adachi, Tokyo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1907 as . It was chartered as a university in 1949 with Yasujiro Niwa as first president. Denki (電機) means an electric device in Japanese, a ...
). While at the school, he started working as an inventor at the toy company Utsumi, and devised inventions including the first battery-powered phone capable of making calls, an automatic speed photo box, an "automatic skate" and the toy phone. The latter two earned him a patent fee of .


Early career and marriage (1919–1934)

During a ''
hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always mean those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around the s ...
'' party held at a tea house in the spring of 1919, Tsuburaya met Yoshirō Edamasa, a pioneer of
Japanese cinema The , also known domestically as , has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world; as of 2022, it was the fourth largest by number of feature films produced, producing 634 fi ...
. Edamasa asked Tsuburaya if he was interested in movies or photography; after he explained to Edamasa that he was interested in motion pictures, Tsuburaya accepted the director's offer to become an employee at his company, the Natural Color Motion Pictures Company (dubbed "Tenkatsu"). Therefore, Tsuburaya began working in the film industry at the age of eighteen, as Edamasa's camera assistant, contributing to films such as ''A Tune of Pity'' (1919) and ''Tombs of the Island'' (1920); reportedly, he also served as a screenwriter during this period. Despite Tenkatsu becoming part of the Kokatsu Company and Edamasa leaving his job in March 1920, Tsuburaya kept working at the studio until he was ordered to serve the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
between 1921 and December 1922. After leaving the army in 1923, Tsuburaya moved back to his family's house in Sukagawa. However, he suddenly departed just a few months later, in order to pursue a more established career within the filmmaking industry. In the morning of his departure from home, he left a note: "I won't return home until I succeed in the motion picture business, even if I die trying." The next year, he worked as the cinematographer on the film ''The Hunchback of Enmei'in Temple''. Tsuburaya joined
Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed '' kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establis ...
in 1925 and would have his breakthrough as the cameraman and assistant director on
Teinosuke Kinugasa was a Japanese filmmaker and actor. His best-known films include the Silent film, silent Experimental film, avant-garde films ''A Page of Madness'' and ''Crossroads (1928 film), Crossroads'' and the Academy Awards, Academy Award-winning historic ...
's ''
A Page of Madness is a 1926 Japanese Silent film, silent Experimental film, experimental Horror film, horror film directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. Lost film, Lost for 45 years until it was rediscovered by Kinugasa in his storehouse in 1971, the film is the produc ...
'' (released the following year). In 1927, he shot
Minoru Inuzuka was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Starting out as a screenwriter at Shochiku in 1924, he also participated in the production of Teinosuke Kinugasa's ''A Page of Madness''. When Chōjirō Hayashi (later known as Kazuo Hasegawa) becam ...
's ''
jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "historical drama, period dramas", it refers to stories that take place before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. ''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the samurai, farmers, crafts ...
'' films ''Children's Swordplay'' and ''Melee'', both starring
Kazuo Hasegawa , formerly known by his stage names and , was a Japanese film and stage actor. He appeared in over 300 films from 1927 to 1963. Career Born to a sake brewing family in Kyoto, he first appeared on stage at age five in a theater run by his famil ...
and Tsuyako Okajima, as well as Toko Yamazaki's ''The Bat Copybook'', ''Mad Blade Under the Moon'', and ''Record of the Tragic Swords of the Tenpo Era''. Because of the financial success of these films, Tsuburaya started being regarded as one of
Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
's leading cinematographers. In 1928, while working on eleven films at Shochiku, Tsuburaya began creating and utilizing new camera operating techniques, including double-exposure and
slow-motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slow-mo or slo-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...
camerawork. The next year, Tsuburaya constructed his own smaller version of
D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the n ...
's 140-foot tall shooting crane: having invented it without the benefit of using blueprints or manuals, the wooden crane allowed Tsuburaya to improve camera movement and was able to be used in and outside the studio. The creation proved to be a success, although it did not guarantee total safety: one day, while Tsuburaya and an assistant were preparing the crane in order to film a scene, the structure collapsed, sending him plummeting to the ground of the studio. A witness of the incident, named Masano Araki, was one of the first people to run to his aid: she visited Tsuburaya daily while he was hospitalized, and the pair formed a relationship shortly thereafter. On February 27, 1930, Tsuburaya married the decade-younger Araki. Their first child, Hajime, was born on April 23, 1931. In May 1932, Tsuburaya, Akira Mimura, Hiroshi Sakai, Kohei Sugiyama, Masao Tamai, and Tadayuki Yokota established the Japan Cameraman Association, which later coalesced with other companies to become the Nippon Cinematographers Club (now known as the ). Shortly after that, the association would start to hold award ceremonies. In November of that same year, Tsuburaya quit Shochiku and joined Nikkatsu Futosou Studios. Around the same time, he began using the professional name "Eiji Tsuburaya". In 1933, Tsuburaya saw the American film ''
King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...
'', which inspired him to work on movies featuring special effects. In 1962, Tsuburaya told the ''
Mainichi Shimbun The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilin ...
'' that he attempted to convince Nikkatsu to "import this technical know-how, but they had little interest in it because, at the time, I was seen as merely a cameraman who worked on Kazuo Hasegawa's historical dramas". He managed to acquire a 35mm print of ''King Kong'' and started to study the film's special effects frame-by-frame, without the advantage of documents explaining how they were produced: he would later write an analysis of the film's effects for the magazine ''Photo Times'' in October 1933. In the same year, Masano gave birth to a second child, a daughter named Miyako. However, the child would die of unknown causes in 1935. In December 1933, Nikkatsu granted Tsuburaya permission to use and study new screen projection technology for the company's ''jidaigeki'' films. However, while the studio agreed with his decision to project these films cast into a location use using location plates, not all of his technological developments were met with approval. While he was filming the final scenes for ''Asataro Descends Mt. Akagi'' in February 1934, Tsuburaya fell out with Nikkatsu's CEO, who had no acquaintance with what Tsuburaya was creating and assumed that he was wasting the company's money. After the argument, Tsuburaya resigned from his job at Nikkatsu.


J.O. Studios, directorial works, and Toho (1934–1940)

Shortly after leaving Nikkatsu, he accepted an offer from Kyoto entrepreneur Yoshio Osawa to work at his company, J.O. Talkies, and research
optical printing An optical printer is a device consisting of one or more film projectors mechanically linked to a movie camera. It allows filmmakers to re-photograph one or more strips of film. The optical printer is used for making visual effects for motion p ...
and screen projection. In October 1934, Tsuburaya and his colleagues completed the first iron shooting crane model and used it to shoot Atsuo Tomioka's ''The Chorus of a Million''. In contrast to his previous prototype, the crane was installed on a truck that operated on tracks, which made it able to change the camera's position in a matter of seconds. In December of that year, Osawa renamed the studio J.O. Studios and designated Tsuburaya as its chief cinematographer. From February to August 1935, he traveled to Hawaii, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand on the cruiser '' Asama'' in order to shoot his directorial debut, '' Three Thousand Miles Across the Equator'', a feature-length
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
documentary film. During the expedition, his second son, Noboru, was born on May 10, 1935. Upon returning from the voyage, Tsuburaya began work on ''
Princess Kaguya is a (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the form. The story details ...
'', an adaptation of the 10th-century Japanese literary tale ''
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is a (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the form. The story details ...
''. He did not only serve as the film's cinematographer, but was also in charge of special effects for the first time. For the film, he worked with animator
Kenzō Masaoka was a Japanese early anime creator. Masaoka was the first to use cel animation and recorded sound in anime.Kōdansha (1993). ''Japan: an illustrated encyclopedia.'' Kōdansha, He worked at a number of companies as an animator and actor, and w ...
to create miniatures, puppets, a composite of Kaguya emerging from a cut bamboo plant, and a sequence in which a ship encounters a storm. While the original print of the film is considered to be lost, a shortened version, screened in England in 1936, was discovered by a researcher at the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
in May 2015: this version was released in Japan on September 4 and 5, 2021, as part of an event celebrating Tsuburaya's 120th birthday. In March of the next year, Tsuburaya's directorial debut, the
theatrical play A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging fr ...
''Folk Song Collection: Oichi of Torioi Village'', was released: it was an adventure film concerning a condemned romance and featuring political tones. ''Folk Song Collection: Oichi of Torioi Village'' was the second film to ever star popular geisha singer Ichimaru, while also featuring actor Kenji Susukida. Soon after its completion, Tsuburaya began working on
Arnold Fanck Arnold Fanck (6 March 1889 – 28 September 1974) was a German film director and pioneer of the mountain film genre. He is best known for the extraordinary alpine footage he captured in such films as '' The Holy Mountain'' (1926), '' The White H ...
's '' The Daughter of the Samurai'' (released in 1937). ''The Daughter of the Samurai'' was the first German-Japanese co-production, and is considered to be Tsuburaya's first major success as a special effects director, since it featured the first full-scale
rear projection Rear projection (background projection, process photography, etc.) is one of many in-camera effects cinematic techniques in film production for combining foreground performances with pre-filmed backgrounds. It was widely used for many years i ...
. The German staff were allegedly impressed by his elaborate miniature work on the project. In September 1936,
Ichizō Kobayashi , occasionally referred to by his pseudonym , was a Japanese industrialist and politician. He is best known as the founder of Hankyu Railway, the Takarazuka Revue, and Toho. He served as Minister of Commerce and Industry between 1940 and 1941. ...
merged the film studios P.C.L. Studios and P.C.L. Film Company with J.O. Studios to create the film and theatre production company
Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
. Film producer was appointed as production manager at Toho: having become aware of the importance of special effects during a tour in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
, in 1937 Mori hired Tsuburaya at the company's studio in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, establishing the special effects department on November 27, 1937, and treating him as the section's manager. Shortly after, Tsuburaya received a research budget and began studying optical printers to create Japan's first version of the device, which he designed. Among Tsuburaya's first film assignments at Toho were '' The Abe Clan'', a ''jidaigeki'' film directed by Hisatora Kumagai, and the unreleased propaganda musical ''The Song of Major Nango'' (both 1938). The latter film was directed and shot by Tsuburaya, and he completed it on September 6 of that year. In 1939, he was ordered to join the Kumagaya Aviation Academy of the Imperial Army Corps, where he was entrusted to shoot flight-training films. After impressing his superiors with his aerial photography, Tsuburaya was given more assignments and a master's certificate during his almost three years at the academy. In November 1939, while Tsuburaya was still at the flight school and undertaking assignments at Toho, he was appointed head of Toho's Special Arts Department. A month after that, he was commissioned to shoot a science film for Toho's then-recently assembled educational section. Under governance demands, Toho was mandated to maintain the creation of propaganda films. Accordingly, in May 1940, Tsuburaya began directing the documentary ''The Imperial Way of Japan'' for Toho Education Films' branch, the Toho National Policy Film Association. He was given his first ever credits for special effects for his work on Sotoji Kimura's ''Navy Bomber Squadron'', which featured a bombing scene with a miniature airplane. ''Navy Bomber Squadron'' was believed to be lost for over sixty years, until an unfinished copy of the film was discovered and screened in 2006. In September 1940,
Yutaka Abe was a Japanese film director and actor. He went to America along with a younger brother to visit an uncle living in Los Angeles. There he enrolled in an acting school, and upon hearing that Thomas H. Ince was looking for Japanese extras to work ...
's '' The Burning Sky'', was released to Japanese cinemas. Tsuburaya was in charge of effects for the film and received his first accolade from the Japan Motion Picture Cinematographers Association. His next undertaking, ''Son Gokū'', was released on November 6, 1940. During an interview for the August 1960 issue of ''
American Cinematographer The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinem ...
'', he broke down the creative process behind ''Son Gokū'', saying: "I was called upon to create and photograph a monkey-like monster which was supposed to fly through the air", adding: "I managed the job with some success and this assignment set the pattern for my future work."


War years (1941–1945)

On December 7, 1941, the
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The (IJNAS) was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired its first aircraft in ...
suddenly attacked the U.S. naval base at
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...
: consequently, the Imperial Japanese Government tasked Toho to produce a propaganda film that would influence the nation to believe they would win the
Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
. The resulting film,
Kajirō Yamamoto was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor who was known for his war films and comedies and as the mentor of Akira Kurosawa. The combined list of his efforts as a director for documentaries, silent, and sound films includes over 90 ...
's
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...
'' The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya'' (1942), became the highest-grossing Japanese film in history upon its release in December 1942 and won ''
Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...
s Best Film Award. Tsuburaya directed its effects, which he created with the assistance of navy-provided photographs of the Pearl Harbor attack: in the process, he also worked with future ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
'' collaborates Akira Watanabe and Teizō Toshimitsu for the first time in his career. His work on the film was supposedly one of the main reasons behind its major success and gained him the Technical Research Award from the Japan Motion Picture Cinematographers Association. The film depicted the attack so realistically that footage from it was later featured in documentaries on the Pearl Harbor attack. Around the same time as ''The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya'' was in production, Toho's effects department was filming Japan's first puppet film, ''Ramayana''. The film's screenplay—based on the Sanskrit epic of the same name—had been written by future ''
Moonlight Mask , a.k.a. Moonbeam Man, is a superhero appearing in Japanese tokusatsu and anime television shows and movies since his TV debut in 1958. The six theatrical films were made (between 1958–1959) in black and white/ToeiScope format. Created by write ...
'' creator
Kōhan Kawauchi (February 26, 1920 – April 6, 2008), also known as Yasunori Kawauchi, was a Japanese screenwriter who created various tokusatsu series, including the first, '' Moonlight Mask'', in 1958. He was originally from Hakodate, Hokkaido. His series ' ...
in 1941, under Tsuburaya's supervision. Tsuburaya's next four major productions were all war films:
Masahiro Makino was a Japanese film director. He directed more than 260 films, primarily in the chanbara and yakuza film, yakuza genres. His real name was , but he took the stage name Masahiro, the kanji for which he changed multiple times (including , , and ). ...
's '' The Opium War'',
Tadashi Imai was a Japanese film director known for social realist filmmaking informed by a left-wing perspective. His most noted films include '' An Inlet of Muddy Water'' (1953) and '' Bushido, Samurai Saga'' (1963). Life Although leaning towards left-win ...
's ''Watchtower Suicide Squad'', Kunio Watanabe's ''Decisive Battle in the Skies'' and Kajirō Yamamoto's follow-up to ''The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya'', ''General Kato's Falcon Fighters'' (all produced in 1943). For ''The Opium War'', Tsuburaya and his team created miniature navy battle sequences and animation synthesis in urban landscapes. During the production of ''General Kato's Falcon Fighters'' (released in 1944), Tsuburaya had his first meeting with future collaborator and filmmaker
Ishirō Honda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 46 feature films in a career spanning five decades. He is acknowledged as the most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki and one of the founders of modern disaster film, wit ...
. After watching ''The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya'', Honda became interested in special effects and believed Tsuburaya's work in ''General Kato's Falcon Fighters'' was inferior in scope, but the art and gunpowder technology had enhanced. Additionally, Tsuburaya expressed dissatisfaction with the size of the shooting stage, the art materials, the method of performance, etc. Shortly before Toho distributed ''General Kato's Falcon Fighters'' in cinemas, Masano and Tsuburaya's third son and last child, Akira, was born on February 12, 1944. Akira was the first of the couple's sons to be
baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...
, since Masano had been converted to
Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
by her younger sister. Masano persisted in introducing her children to the Catholic faith and ultimately converted her husband. In 1944, Tsuburaya met future ''Godzilla'' producer
Tomoyuki Tanaka was a Japanese film producer, best known as the creator of Godzilla. He produced most of the installments in the ''Godzilla'' series, beginning in 1954 with ''Godzilla'' and ending in 1995 with '' Godzilla vs. Destoroyah''. He was one of the mo ...
during the production of the
Mikio Naruse was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967. Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook. He made primarily Shoshimin-eiga, shōshimin-eiga ("common people drama") films with f ...
-directed war film ', which was Tanaka's debut as a film producer. Tanaka stated that he did not develop a serious connection with Tsuburaya during the film's production. The following year, the special effects director collaborated with Tanaka for the second time on Kiyoshi Saeki's '. On March 10, 1945, Tsuburaya and his family sought refuge for two hours in their residence's bomb shelter during the Tokyo air raids. During the two-hour-long attacks, he told his children fairy tales to keep them quiet. Later that year, Tsuburaya made the effects in
Torajirō Saitō was a Japanese film director known for his comedy films. Born in Akita Prefecture, he entered Shōchiku's Kamata, Ōta, Tokyo, Kamata studio in 1922 and debuted as a director in 1926. He later worked at the Shintoho and Toho studios. He became kn ...
's ''Five Men from Tokyo'', for which he was credited as "Eiichi Tsuburaya". ''Five Men from Tokyo'' is a comedy film concerning five men who struggle to make a living after returning to Tokyo and remaining unemployed due to the Tokyo air raids on March 10, 1945, at the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Occupation years to ''Chūshingura'': 1946–1962


Early postwar work (1946–1954)

Even though Toho was unaffected by the Tokyo bombings, as the company was located in Seijo, the amount of film productions was reduced due to the
Occupation of Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II from the surrender of the Empire of Japan on September 2, 1945, at the war's end until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect on April 28, 1952. The occupation, led by the ...
. Because of this, the company produced only eighteen films in 1946, with Tsuburaya working on eight of them. During the same year, Tsuburaya became head of the special effects production department at Toho and established its cinematography, compositing, art, and development units. Since he and his effects unit at the company had a minor slate of films to work on, they also began testing
matte painting A matte painting is a painted representation of a landscape, set, or distant location that allows filmmakers to create the illusion of an environment that is not present at the filming location. Historically, matte painters and film technicia ...
and optical printing. Toho was on the verge of disbandment due to the three major labor disputes that occurred at the studio during the late 1940s. According to Akira Tsuburaya, his father had to sneak around the Japanese police and U.S. tanks deployed during these strikes and disputes in order to get to work. To repel the police, the labor strikers erected a barricade, using a large fan, made by the special effects department of the company, which was equipped with the Zero fighter engine that Tsuburaya had used during the war. These events led to the creation of
Shintoho was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big six film studios (which also included Daiei, Nikkatsu, Shochiku, Toei Company, and Toho) during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Toho company ...
; Tsuburaya would create the effects for the studio's first film, ''
A Thousand and One Nights with Toho is a 1947 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Kon Ichikawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Plot Actress Yamane is chased by two suspicious men and escapes to the studio. As she escapes to the kimono, preview room, and stage, th ...
'' (1947). In late March 1948, Tsuburaya was
purged In history, religion and political science, a purge is a position removal or execution of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, another, their team leaders, or society as a whole. A group undertaking such an ...
from Toho by the
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers The Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (), or SCAP, was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the United States-led Allied occupation of Japan following World War II. It issued SCAP Directives (alias SCAPIN, SCAP Index Number) ...
because of his involvement in propaganda films during World War II. The U.S. occupation officials reportedly expelled him assuming he had access to classified documents when creating the comprehensive miniatures featured in ''The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya'', which led them to inaccurately conclude that he was a spy. Consequently, Toho disbanded their special effects division and Tsuburaya, together with his son Hajime, founded the independent special effects company , an unofficial juridical entity. Henceforth, he worked at major film studios outside Toho without on-screen credit. In 1949, five major
Daiei Film Daiei Film Co. Ltd. ( Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga 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 cinema, produci ...
productions featuring effects directed by Tsuburaya were released to Japanese theaters:
Japanese horror Japanese horror, also known as J-horror, is horror fiction derived from popular culture in Japan, generally noted for its unique thematic and conventional treatment of the horror genre differing from the traditional Western representation of horr ...
filmmaker
Bin Kato (; June 20, 1907 – July 27, 1982
''raizofan.net'', 2009年10月15日閲覧。
) was a Japanese
's ''The White Haired Fiend'', Keigo Kimura's ''Flowers of Raccoon Palace'', Kiyohiko Ushihara's ''The Rainbow Man'', Akira Nobuchi's ''The Ghost Train'', and Nobuo Adachi's ''
The Invisible Man Appears is a 1949 Japanese science fiction, Japanese science fiction tokusatsu film directed by Nobuo Adachi, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was loosely based on H. G. Wells' 1897 ''The Invisible Man'' and produced by Daiei Film, the f ...
''. This last movie was the first successful Japanese science fiction film, as well as the country's first adaption of
H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...
' novel ''
The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is an 1897 science fiction novel by British writer H. G. Wells. Originally serialised in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a s ...
''. Created by studying the eponymous 1933 film adaptation of Wells' novel, Daiei had intended this film to be Tsuburaya's full-scale post-war recovery, featuring special effects superior in quality to those in
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
' ''The Invisible Man'' film series. Tsuburaya, however, was disappointed with his lack of competence on the project and gave up his ambition to become a Daiei employee after ''The Invisible Man Appears'' was finished. In 1950, Tsuburaya relocated some equipment and employees at Tsuburaya Special Technology Laboratory to Toho's headquarters; his independent company was merely the size of six ''
tatami are soft mats used as flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. They are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about , depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are used for training in a dojo and for competition. ...
'' mats inside Toho Studios. In the same year, he continued to direct special effects for films from other companies, including Toyoko Eiga's
anti-war film An anti-war film is a sub-genre of war film that is opposed to warfare in its theming or messaging. Characteristics Anti-war films typically argue that war is futile, unjust, a loss for all involved, only serves to benefit few in society (us ...
''
Listen to the Voices of the Sea ''Listen to the Voices of the Sea'' () is a 1950 Japanese anti-war film directed by Hideo Sekigawa. It is based on the 1949 best-selling book ''Listen to the Voices from the Sea'' (), a collection of letters by Japanese student soldiers killed i ...
''. While slowly rebuilding the company's Special Arts Department, he filmed all of the title cards, trailers, and the logo for Toho's films from 1950 to 1954. The first production featuring major contributions by Tsuburaya upon his return to Toho was reportedly a 1950 film directed by
Hiroshi Inagaki was a Japanese filmmaker who worked on over 100 films in a career spanning over five decades. He is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed filmmakers in the history of Japanese cinema, having directed several ''jidaigeki'' epics s ...
and based on the life of Japanese swordsman
Sasaki Kojirō was a Japanese swordsman who may have lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods and is known primarily for the story of his duel with Miyamoto Musashi in 1612, where Sasaki was killed. Although suffering from defeat as wel ...
. During this period, Tsuburaya also worked on Toho films such as
Senkichi Taniguchi (February 19, 1912 – October 29, 2007) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Tokyo, Japan, he attended Waseda University but left before graduating due to his involvement in a left-wing theater troupe. He ...
's anti-war film '' Escape at Dawn'' (1950), directed the effects for Taniguchi's ', staged miniature ships to depict a battle in Hiroshi Inagaki's ', and directed the effects for
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese filmmaker who directed roughly one hundred films during his career between 1923 and 1956. His most acclaimed works include '' The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums'' (1939), '' The Life of Oharu'' (1952), '' Ugetsu'' (1953), and ' ...
's ''
The Lady of Musashino is a 1951 Japanese drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It is based on the novel by Shōhei Ōoka. Plot Michiko Akiyama is married to Tadao Akiyama, a college professor but a vulgar man with a lower-class background. Towards the end of World ...
''. In February 1952, Tsuburaya's exile from public office was officially lifted. That same month, Ishirō Honda's second feature film, '' The Skin of the South'', was released to Japanese theaters. Tsuburaya directed the film's effects for the typhoon and landslide scenes, which was his first experience acting as the effects director on a film by the future ''Godzilla'' director. Tsuburaya collaborated with Honda and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka on '' The Man Who Came to Port'' later that year: this marked the first time the trio, who are considered the creators of ''Godzilla'', ever collaborated with one another. During World War II, Toho had begun researching
3D film 3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. 3D films were prominently featured in the 1950s in American cinema and later experienced a worldwide r ...
s and completed a 3D film process known as "Tovision". While the project had been abandoned, it was later revived when the 3D film ''
Bwana Devil ''Bwana Devil'' is a 1952 American adventure B movie written, directed, and produced by Arch Oboler, and starring Robert Stack, Barbara Britton, and Nigel Bruce. ''Bwana Devil'' is based on the true story of the Tsavo maneaters and filmed wi ...
'' (1952) became a box office hit in the United States. Hence, the company produced its first 3D film, future ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
'' co-writer Takeo Murata's ' (1953). It features cinematography by Tsuburaya, who shot the short film by using an interlocking camera. After the completion of ''The Sunday That Jumped Out'', Murata discussed creating a ''
kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...
'' film about a giant whale attacking Tokyo, which Tsuburaya devised the previous year. Tsuburaya, therefore, resubmitted the conception of this production to producer Iwao Mori. Although this project never materialized, elements of it were included in early drafts of ''Godzilla'' the following year. Tsuburaya's next project, the war epic '' Eagle of the Pacific'' (1953), was his first significant partnership with Ishirō Honda. As the film featured many effects sequences from ''The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya'', Tsuburaya used only a small crew to shoot its new effects. Upon its release, the film reportedly became Toho's first post-war production to gross over (). The ensuing year, he and Honda collaborated on another war film, ''
Farewell Rabaul is a 1954 Japanese war film directed by Ishirō Honda, 『日本特撮・幻想映画全集』 勁文社、1997 p.50 with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya Cast * Ryō Ikebe * Rentaro Mikuni * Akihiko Hirata * Mariko Okada is a Japanese s ...
'', released to Japanese theaters in February 1954, to moderate box office success. His effects for this assignment were more advanced than the ones used for ''Eagle of the Pacific'', since they featured many more of his technological approaches and syntheses. Because of the success of ''Eagle of the Pacific'' and ''Farewell Rabaul'', Tomoyuki Tanaka believed Tsuburaya should make more ''
tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...
'' films with Honda. Tsuburaya's next film would become Japan's first global hit and gain him international attention.


International recognition (1954–1959)

After failing to renegotiate with the
Indonesian government The term Government of the Republic of Indonesia (, GOI, sometimes also referred to as Government of Indonesia or the Central Government () especially in laws) can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively ...
for the production of ''In the Shadow of Glory'', producer Tomoyuki Tanaka began to consider creating a giant monster (or ''kaiju'') film, inspired by
Eugène Lourié Eugène Lourié (; 8 April 1903 – 26 May 1991) was a Russian-born French film director, art director, production designer, set designer and screenwriter who was known for his collaborations with Jean Renoir and for his 1950s science fiction ...
's ''
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms ''The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms'' is a 1953 American independent monster film directed by Eugène Lourié, with stop motion animation by Ray Harryhausen. It is partly based on Ray Bradbury's 1951 short story of the same name, which was later ...
'' (1953) and the ''Daigo Fukuryū Maru'' incident. He believed that it would have considerable potential, due to the financial success of previous monster films and the impact of news generating nuclear fears. As a result, he wrote an outline for the project and pitched it to Iwao Mori. Following Tsuburaya's agreement to create its effects, Mori approved the production, eventually titled ''Godzilla'', in mid-April 1954; filmmaker Ishirō Honda soon took over the directing duties. During preproduction, Tsuburaya considered using
stop motion Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exh ...
to depict the titular monster but, as stated by special effects crew member Fumio Nakadai, had to employ the "costume method" because he "finally decided it wouldn't work". This technique is now known as "
suitmation Creature suits are realistic costumes used to disguise a performer as an animal, monster, or other being. They are used in film, television, or as costumed characters in live events. Unlike mascots, they are often made with a high degree of reali ...
". Tsuburaya's special effects department filmed ''Godzilla'' in 71 days from August to late October 1954, on a budget of . He and his crew worked relentlessly, regularly starting at 9:00 a.m., preparing at 5:00 p.m., and finishing the shoot at 4 or 5 a.m. in the following morning. Upon its nationwide release on November 3, Tsuburaya's effects received critical acclaim and the film became a box office hit. As a result, ''Godzilla'' established Toho as the most successful effects company in the world, and Tsuburaya obtained his first Japan Technical Award for his efforts. Instantly after completing ''Godzilla'' in October, Tsuburaya began working on another Toho-produced science fiction film, '' The Invisible Avenger'', which was released to Japanese theaters in December 1954, under the title ''Invisible Man''. This ''tokusatsu'' production was directed by Motoyoshi Oda and featured special effects and photography by Tsuburaya. For the movie, he inherited and expanded the technology used in his first film to feature an invisible character, ''The Invisible Man Appears'' (1949). Tsuburaya instructed his crew to portray the title character's invisibility in various ways throughout the film, including optical synthesis, and suggested that the character would disguise his invisibility powers by dressing up as a clown. Due to the enormous box-office success of ''Godzilla'', Toho quickly gathered the majority of the crew behind the film to create a smaller-budget sequel to the film, entitled ''
Godzilla Raids Again is a 1955 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Motoyoshi Oda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the second film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and a sequel to ''Godzilla'' (1954). The fi ...
'': Tsuburaya was officially given the title of special effects director for the first time, having always been credited under "special technique" beforehand. Shot in less than three months, the film was released in April 1955. Just a month later, Tsuburaya began directing the effects of ''
Half Human is a 1955 Japanese science fiction horror film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akemi Negishi, Sachio Sakai, and Nobuo Nakamura, with Sanshiro Sagara as the A ...
'', his second ''kaiju'' film collaboration with director Ishirō Honda. Among his efforts on this film, the effects director notably created stop-motion animation, rear-screen miniature, and miniature avalanche sequences. In April 1956, ''Godzilla'' became the first Japanese film to be widely distributed throughout the United States and was later released worldwide, leading Tsuburaya to gain international recognition. However, for its American release, the movie was re-entitled as ''
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is a 1956 ''kaiju'' film directed by Terry O. Morse and Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is a heavily re-edited American localization, or "Americanization", of the 1954 Japanese film ''Godzilla (1954 film), Godzilla'' ...
'', heavily re-edited, and integrated with new footage featuring Canadian actor
Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor who had a lengthy Hollywood film career and portrayed the title roles in the television dramas '' Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career inclu ...
. Tsuburaya's next major undertaking, '' The Legend of the White Serpent'', a Hong Kong-Japanese film adaptation of a novel by
Fusao Hayashi Gotō Toshio (後藤寿夫; 30 May 1903 – 9 October 1975), known by his pen name , was a Japanese novelist and literary critic in Shōwa period Japan. He is known for his early works in the proletarian literature movement, although he later be ...
based on the Chinese
legend of the White Snake The Legend of the White Snake is a Chinese legend centered around a romance between a man named Xu Xian and a female snake spirit named Bai Suzhen. It is counted as one of China's Four Great Folktales, the others being '' Lady Meng Jiang'', ' ...
, was Toho's first ''tokusatsu'' production to be completely filmed in
technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...
(via
Eastmancolor Eastmancolor is a trade name used by Eastman Kodak for a number of related film and processing technologies associated with color motion picture production and referring to George Eastman, founder of Kodak. Eastmancolor, introduced in 1950, was o ...
). In preparation for the film, which was produced on a then-record budget of , Tsuburaya and his unit spent a month training with color process technology before shooting the effects. After working on ''The Legend of the White Serpent'', Tsuburaya made the renowned Toho logo, and his unit created the opening credits for most of the company's films. Between working on large-scale Toho films, he also created the effects for
Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
's series ''Ninja Arts of Sanada Castle'' and several theatrical productions for
Tokyo Takarazuka Theater is another home for Takarazuka Revue, 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 ...
. Toho's next assignment for Tsuburaya was ''
Rodan is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film of the same name, produced and distributed by Toho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numer ...
'', the first ''kaiju'' film ever produced in color. About 60% of ''Rodans budget was spent on Tsuburaya's effects, which included optical animation, matte paintings, and extremely elaborate miniature sets created to be destroyed or flown over by its namesake monster (played by original ''Godzilla'' suit actor
Haruo Nakajima was a Japanese actor and stuntman. A pioneer of suit acting, he is best known for playing Godzilla in 12 consecutive films, starting from the original ''Godzilla'' (1954) until '' Godzilla vs. Gigan'' (1972). Nakajima also played various other ...
). ''Rodan'' required a large number of model sets in a variety of sizes, including 1/10, 1/20, 1/25, and 1/30, to be developed and assembled by Tsuburaya's division. The film premiered in Japanese theaters in December 1956 and, upon its release in the United States the following year, earned more at the box office than any previous science fiction film. ''
Throne of Blood is a 1957 Japanese epic ''jidaigeki'' film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film transposes the plot of English dramatist William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'' (1606) fr ...
'', an adaptation of
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...
'' from renowned filmmaker
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...
, was Tsuburaya's second film release of 1957. Kurosawa cut several scenes by Tsuburaya due to his displeasure with the amount of footage he made for ''Throne of Blood''. He next served as the special effects director for ''
The Mysterians is a 1957 Japanese epic science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the first Honda-Tsuburaya collaboration filmed in both color and TohoScope, and s ...
'', a science fiction epic directed by Ishirō Honda. The first color
CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic format, anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its cr ...
film ever directed by the duo, ''The Mysterians'' is often called the "definitive science fiction movie". Tsuburaya won another Japan Technical Award for his widescreen effects in ''The Mysterians''. A new sub-genre for Toho was born with Tsuburaya's first movie of 1958, ''
The H-Man is a 1958 Japanese science fiction thriller film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Plot On a rainy night in the outskirts of Tokyo, a drug smuggler, Misaki, is killed while trying to escape in a getaway car ...
'', which was the first entry in the "Transforming Human Series". He next directed the effects for Honda's ''
Varan the Unbelievable is a 1958 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it stars Kōzō Nomura, Ayumi Sonoda, and Koreya Senda, with Haruo Nakajima as Varan. In the fil ...
'', a film about a giant monster awakened in the Tōhoku mountains that surfaces in
Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...
. Initially planned as a made-for-television film, co-produced between Toho and the American company AB-PT Pictures, the production was plagued by numerous difficulties: AB-PT collapsed during production, leading Toho to alter the film's status to a theatrical feature. Tsuburaya's final film released in 1958 was Kurosawa's ''
The Hidden Fortress is a 1958 Japanese ''epic jidaigeki'' adventure film directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It tells the story of two peasants who agree to escort a man and a woman across enemy lines in return for gold without knowi ...
''. Tsuburaya began 1959 by working on the special effects for '' Mighty Atom'', a ''tokusatsu'' television series based on
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu'', – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and animator. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques an ...
's manga series ''
Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 volumes by Akita Shoten. Da ...
''. Although neither he nor his company were credited in the show itself when it aired between March 7, 1959, and May 28, 1960, he supervised the miniature photography done by his staff at Tsuburaya Special Technology Laboratory. Around the same time, Tsuburaya also directed the special effects for a storm sequence featured in Honda's ''Inao: Story of an Iron Arm'', for which he also constructed the miniature for the title character's rowboat. Next, he worked on '' Monkey Sun'', co-written and directed by Kajirō Yamamoto as an all-star remake of his 1940 film ''Son Gokū'', a previous entry in the effects director's curriculum. Taking inspiration from watching soybean paste in the
broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups ...
of his wife's
miso soup is a traditional Japan, Japanese soup consisting of miso paste mixed with a ''dashi'' Stock (food), stock. It is commonly served as part of an meal, meaning "one soup, three dishes," a traditional Japanese meal structure that includes rice, sou ...
, Tsuburaya created scenes with storm clouds, as well as smoke and ash erupting from three volcanoes. His effects for ''Monkey Sun'' were described by biographer August Ragone as "comical and surreal". After operating on the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater production ''The Story of Bali'', he directed the effects for
Shūe Matsubayashi (born July 7, 1920 – August 15, 2009, in Shimane Prefecture, Japan) was a Japanese film director. He is best known for films in the comedy film, comedy and war film, war genres. He was also an ordained Shin Buddhism, Shin Buddhist priest. His ...
's '' Submarine I-57 Will Not Surrender'', his first war film in six years. In order to film submarine scenes for the film, a model seabed terrain was built in the first Toho miniature pool (dubbed the "Small Pool" after a bigger stage was completed). He also filmed his effects for a technicolor version of the film, but they were converted to black-and-white for the final version. In August 1959, Tsuburaya, together with his sons Hajime and Noboru, shot footage of two dragon puppets in Tsuburaya's laboratory at their house in
Setagaya is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orchid, and its tree is the '' Ze ...
, Tokyo for a Hong Kong-based film company. Tsuburaya's following significant production, director Hiroshi Inagaki's big-budget
religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...
epic ''
The Three Treasures is a 1959 Japanese epic film, epic List of religious films, religious fantasy film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Toho as their celebratory thousandth film, it was the most expensive Japanese fil ...
'', was created as Toho's celebratory thousandth film. Based on legends featured in the ''
Kojiki The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
'' and ''
Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...
'', it stars
Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor and producer. The recipient of numerous awards and accolades over a lengthy career, he is widely considered one of the greatest actors of all time. He often played hypermasculine characters and was noted for his commandin ...
as
Yamato Takeru , originally , was a Japanese folk hero and semi-legendary prince of the imperial dynasty, son of Emperor Keikō, who is traditionally counted as the 12th Emperor of Japan. The kanji spelling of his name varies: it appears in the ''Nihon Shoki'' ...
and the ''
kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...
''
Susanoo __FORCETOC__ Susanoo (, ; historical orthography: , ), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto (), is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese im ...
. The effects director and his crew shot several key sequences included in the film, such as a battle between Mifune's character Susanoo and the eight-headed dragon
Yamata no Orochi Yamata no Orochi (ヤマタノオロチ, also written as 八岐大蛇, 八俣遠呂智 or 八俣遠呂知) is a legendary eight-headed and eight-tailed serpent that appears in Japanese mythology. Both the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon Shoki'' record the ...
and an eruption of
Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...
. On ''The Three Treasures'', Tsuburaya used for the first time the "Toho Versatile Process", an adaptation of Toho's optical printing process that he developed on a budget of for widescreen color films and revealed in May of the same year. The movie earned over , against an initial budget, ranking as Toho's highest-grossing film of the year and their second-highest-grossing film altogether. He won the Japan Technical Award for Special Skill and was presented with the Special Achievement Award at Movie Day. While he was pleased with the success of ''The Three Treasures'', Tsuburaya became disappointed after seeing a picture of the heads of the Yamata no Orochi prop held up by piano wires in a newspaper article concerning its special effects. Accordingly, he declined an interview with the newspaper because he believed the photograph "broke children's dreams". When the
Space Race The Space Race (, ) was a 20th-century competition between the Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between t ...
erupted between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the late 1950s, Tsuburaya counseled Toho to produce a film about a lunar expedition. Therefore, his next film, ''
Battle in Outer Space is a 1959 Japanese science fiction action film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Plot In 1965, a series of mysterious and devastating incidents are happening on Earth. These incidents range from a railroad bridg ...
'', was a science fiction epic about a group of astronauts who battle extraterrestrials on the surface of the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
. Tsuburaya reportedly paid homage to producer
George Pal George Pal (born György Pál Marczincsak; ; February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980) was a Hungarian-American animator, film director and producer, principally associated with the fantasy and science-fiction genres. He became an American citizen after ...
's '' Destination Moon'' (1950) in the film's Moon landing sequence; he would later meet Pal in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in 1962. Since films featuring his contributions were attaining global popularity and praise for Japanese cinema, Hearst filmed Tsuburaya directing the effects for ''Battle in Outer Space'', and he later received the Special Award of Merit at the fourth ceremony prior to its release.


From ''The Secret of the Telegian'' to ''Chūshingura'' (1960–1962)

A smaller-scale science fiction film, entitled '' The Secret of the Telegian'', which was Toho's second installment in the Transforming Human Series, marked Tsuburaya's first assignment of 1960. He then took on a project of a much larger extent, '' Storm Over the Pacific'', the first-ever war film in color. His department created notably large miniatures for the film, with a 13-meter long miniature being filmed by Tsuburaya on the Miura Coast. ''Storm Over the Pacific'' was also Toho's first film to require the use of the "Big Pool", which had been completed in February 1960. The pool would later be used in the production of every ''Godzilla'' film, before being demolished at the end of the filming process for '' Godzilla: Final Wars'' (2004). ''Storm Over the Pacific'' obtained critical acclaim upon its release, with numerous of Tsuburaya's effects sequences being later featured in '' Midway'' (1976), a film by
Jack Smight John Ronald Smight (March 9, 1925 – September 1, 2003) was an American theatre and film director. His film credits include ''Harper (film), Harper'' (1966), ''No Way to Treat a Lady (film), No Way to Treat a Lady'' (1968), ''Airport 1975'' (19 ...
that was also about the Pacific War. Throughout the rest of 1960, Tsuburaya worked on other notable productions, such as the third film in the Transforming Human Series, ''
The Human Vapor is a 1960 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the third and final film in the Transforming Human Series. In the film, a scientific ex ...
''; he also oversaw the creation of an extremely detailed miniature of
Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. Layout Th ...
and directed its destruction scene for Hiroshi Inagaki's ''jidaigeki'' film '' The Story of Osaka Castle'', and then directed the tsunami sequence in the
film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
of Pearl S. Buck's 1948 novel '' The Big Wave''. In 1961, Tsuburaya directed the effects for ''
Mothra is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's '' 1961 film of the same name'', produced and distributed by Toho. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''tokusatsu'' films, often as a recur ...
'', another ''kaiju'' film created in collaboration with Ishirō Honda. Allegedly inspired by his own dreams, Tsuburaya created the eponymous giant, moth-like ''kaiju'', which would go on to become one of the icons of Japanese fantasy cinema, alongside Godzilla and Rodan, and appear in numerous films thereafter. Though the overall budget for ''Mothra'' allowed the effects department to create the largest-scale miniature set ever constructed for a Toho production, Tsuburaya was displeased with some of the sequences shot for the film, including some composite cuts of the ''Shobijin''. Nonetheless, he decided to keep these scenes upon editing ''Mothra'' in
post-production Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...
. The film was released on July 30, 1961, becoming a massive box office hit and, as stated by biographer August Ragone, an "instant classic" alongside Honda and Tsuburaya's earlier ''kaiju'' films ''Godzilla'' and ''Rodan''. After directing blue screen dream scenes with actor Toshiro Mifune for Hiroshi Inagaki's film ' (1961), Tsuburaya moved on to direct the effects for Shūe Matsubayashi's epic ''tokusatsu'' film '' The Last War'', which emerged as a major hit upon its October 1961 release, with Tsuburaya's effects receiving critical acclaim. The effects director himself would later list ''The Last War'' as one of his "masterpieces". Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, assured from the box office success of ''Mothra'' and ''The Last War'', gave Honda and Tsuburaya their greatest budget yet and 300 days to shoot ''
Gorath is a 1962 Japanese epic science fiction disaster film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Based on an idea by Jojiro Okami, the film is about mankind's efforts to move Earth out of its orbit to prevent it from col ...
'', their next science fiction epic. Although ''Gorath'' is considered to feature some of Tsuburaya's best work as a special effects director, it was a box office failure when it was released in March 1962. On May 15, the director appeared on NK Educational TV's program ''Japanese Standards''; in July, he finished directing the effects for ', a South Korean-produced film that was never released in Japan. After filming ''Gorath'', Tsuburaya began planning to work on other projects, such as a new version of ''Princess Kaguya''. However, he postponed those as soon as he was given the opportunity to direct the special effects for Honda's
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...
film ''
King Kong vs. Godzilla is a 1962 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it is the third film in both the ''Godzilla'' and ''King Kong'' franchises, as well as the first T ...
''. The script's early drafts were sent back with notes from Toho asking for the monster antics to be as "funny as possible"; Tsuburaya embraced this approach, seeking to emotionally appeal to children and expand the genre's audience. Many of the sequences for the battle between the two monsters were purposefully filled with humorous details, but the approach was not favored by most of the effects crew, who "couldn't believe" some of the things Tsuburaya asked them to do, such as Kong and Godzilla volleying a giant boulder back and forth. For their portrayals, Tsuburaya gave Haruo Nakajima (playing Godzilla) and Shoichi Hirose (playing King Kong) freedom to choreograph their own moves. Tsuburaya directed sequences at a miniature outdoor set on the Miura Coast, which depicted the giant octopus's attack on the Faro Island village. During its original theatrical release in August 1962, ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' became the second-highest-grossing Japanese film in history and was watched by 11.2 million people, leading it to be regarded as the most-attended film in the ''Godzilla'' series. Tsuburaya's final film release of 1962 was Inagaki's epic ''jidaigeki'' film '' Chūshingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki'', for which he and his department made
forced perspective Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. It manipulates human visual perception through the use of scaled objects and the correlation bet ...
stages and various optical effects. Produced by Toho—like ''King Kong vs. Godzilla''—in celebration of their 30th anniversary, ''Chūshingura'' was the company's fourth highest-grossing film of the year, and their tenth-highest altogether.


Birth of a company to last years: 1963–1970


Birth of a company and career expansion (1963–1964)

The first movie released in 1963 to feature Tsuburaya's contributions was another war film by Shūe Matsubayashi, ''
Attack Squadron! is a 1963 Japanese film directed by Shue Matsubayashi, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film is about Lt. Colonel Senda (Toshiro Mifune) who commands three fighter squadrons, eventually being dominated by Allied forces in June 1944. R ...
'', distributed in January of that year. Despite not being an epic film, unlike Toho's previous war movies, ''Attack Squadron!'' still featured several miniature Japanese and American aircraft, crafted by Tsuburaya's crew, with some of the models being controlled via
radio control Radio control (often abbreviated to RC) is the use of control signals transmitted by radio to remotely operate a device. Examples of simple radio control systems are garage door openers and keyless entry systems for vehicles, in which a small ha ...
. The sole new miniature battleship built for the film was ''
Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a Names of Japan, name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial ...
'', an enormous motorized model constructed at 1/15 scale and measuring 17.5 meters (or 57.5 feet). After visiting Hollywood in order to study the special effects work of major American studios, Tsuburaya founded his own independent company, Tsuburaya Special Effects Productions (later called simply Tsuburaya Productions), on April 12, 1963. It was initially handled entirely by his family: Tsuburaya was reported as its director general and president; his wife Masano was on the director's board; his second son Noboru was appointed as accountant. Hajime, Tsuburaya's eldest son, would soon join the company as well, leaving his award-winning directorial employment at the
Tokyo Broadcasting System (formerly ) is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network TBS Television and radio network TBS Radio. It has a 28-affiliate television network called Japan News Network, as ...
. Around August of the same year, photography assistant Kiyoshi Suzuki was hired alongside , a former news cameraman for
Kyodo Television is a Japanese television production company founded on July 28, 1958 as . It is a subsidiary of Fuji Television, one of the largest television networks in Japan. Kyodo produces a wide variety of television shows, including drama, news, anime ser ...
. Takano was directly involved in Tsuburaya Productions' first-ever full-scale ''tokusatsu'' production, '' Alone Across the Pacific'' (1963), which required twenty-five effects sequences. Throughout the rest of the year, Tsuburaya worked both for his new company and Toho, where he was still at the helm of the effects department, despite having terminated his exclusive deal with the company. The second film released in 1963 to feature his contributions was
Li Han-hsiang Richard Li Han-hsiang (; 7 March 1926 in Jinxi, Liaoning – 17 December 1996 in Beijing) was a Chinese film director. Li directed more than 70 films in his career beginning in the 1950s and lasting till the 1990s. His '' The Enchanting Shadow' ...
's Hong Kong
musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...
''
The Love Eterne ''The Love Eterne'' is a 1963 Hong Kong musical film of the Huangmei opera genre directed by Li Han Hsiang. An adaptation of the Chinese legend of the Butterfly Lovers, it tells of the doomed romance between the male Liang Shanbo (cross-gender ...
''. The effects director was tasked to stage the scene where an earthquake split the tomb of the character Liang Shanbo (played by
Ivy Ling Po Huang Yuet-chu (born November 16, 1939), known professionally by her stage name Ivy Ling Po, is a retired actress and Chinese opera singer from Hong Kong. She gained widespread fame during the 1960s for her roles in several popular Huangmei ...
) in two and the protagonist (played by
Betty Loh Ti Betty Loh Ti (July 24, 1937 – December 27, 1968), known as Loh Tih for short, was a Hong Kong actress originally from Shanghai. Known as the "Classic Beauty", she was one of the most celebrated actresses of Hong Kong cinema. She is most famous ...
) ascended into heaven. Cinematographer Tadashi Nishimoto traveled to Japan in order to film Tsuburaya's effects at Shintoho's . Thereafter, the special effects director moved on to the World War I adventure film '. In his first partnership with director , Tsuburaya's division developed several new models for the film, including large-scale miniatures, full-scale replications of early twentieth-century flying vehicles, and an enormous outdoor model set of Fort Bismarck. According to Ragone, Tsuburaya enjoyed working on this film, despite aiming to make his own tribute feature to Japanese aviation pioneers. Shortly after completing ''The Siege of Fort Bismarck'' in April 1963, he began
pre-production Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, video game, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the co ...
work on ''
Matango is a 1963 Japanese horror film directed by Ishirō Honda. The film stars Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno and Kenji Sahara. Partially based on William Hope Hodgson's short story " The Voice in the Night", it centers on a group of castaways on an isl ...
'', another film created in cooperation with Ishirō Honda, which was the final entry in the Transforming Human Series. In contrast with the majority of Toho's previous monster-themed films, the actors were capable of psychical interaction with the suit actors portraying the monsters on a sound stage. said that Tsuburaya "focused" Toho to purchase the " Optical Printer 1900 Series" in order to facilitate the production of special effects, while noting that optical synthesis technology became popular following the film's release. A box office failure upon its Japanese release, ''Matango'' was not included in ''Kinema Junpos list of height-grossing films for the year, and has been considered as one of Honda and Tsuburaya's most obscure movies ever since, being deemed as a "virtually unknown film". Tsuburaya soon moved on to film miniatures and produce optical animation (via his newly purchased Optical Printer 1900 Series) for ''
The Lost World of Sinbad is a 1963 Japanese drama action film directed by Senkichi Taniguchi, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film stars Toshiro Mifune and Mie Hama.
''. This film, directed by Senkichi Taniguchi from a screenplay by ''Mothra'' and ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'' writer
Shinichi Sekizawa was a Japanese screenwriter noted for his immense contributions to several films by Ishirō Honda, including several classic Godzilla films. He also contributed material to the original ''Ultraman'' series and several Tōei Dōga films such as ...
, included an acclaimed choreographed chase sequence between a wizard and a witch, created via animation and matte photography, which gained Tsuburaya another Japan Technical Award for Special Skill. Tsuburaya almost immediately started to work on another Honda-directed science fiction ''tokusatsu'' movie, ''
Atragon is a 1963 Japanese ''tokusatsu'' science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho, it is based on ''The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure'' by Shunrō ...
'' (1963). Based on
Shunrō Oshikawa was a Japanese author, journalist and editor, best known as a pioneer of science fiction. Education and early career While studying law at Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō (present day Waseda University) at the turn of the century, Oshikawa published ''Ka ...
's novel ''The Undersea Warship'' and incorporated with Shigeru Komatsuzaki's novel ''Undersea Empire'', the film concerns a group of former colleagues, friends, and family that must convince the captain of the battleship ''Gotengo'', Hachiro Jinguji (played by
Jun Tazaki , born Minoru Tanaka, was a Japanese actor best known for his various roles in kaiju films produced by Toho, often portraying scientists or military personnel. Career Tanaka began his career as a traveling stage actor in the 1930s, performi ...
), to use his battleship to save the world from the invading ancient undersea civilization of Mu, who are using their advanced technology and their guardian sea dragon, Manda, in an attempt to take over the surface world. Since Toho aimed to distribute the film in Japanese theaters on December 22 of that year, Tsuburaya was given roughly two months to shoot the effects sequences for ''Atragon''. As a result, in order to achieve the company's goal, he separated his special effects team into two units, assuring that it would allow him to complete the assignment as soon as possible. Although it was quickly converted and developed, the film is regarded as "one of the cornerstones of Japanese cinema" and is still often referenced in media. While working on ''Atragon'', Tsuburaya was also concluding model effects for the Hiroshi Inagaki-directed ''jidaigeki'' film, ''
Whirlwind A whirlwind is a phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow ( current) gradients. Whirlwinds can vary in size and last from a cou ...
'' (1964). During this period of time, lack of sleep and workload-related stress were taking a toll on Tsuburaya's health, so much that he was often found sleeping in his chair during scene set-ups for his effects shoots. The fourth installment in the ''Godzilla'' movie series, ''
Mothra vs. Godzilla is a 1964 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the fourth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. The film stars Akira Takarada, Yuriko Hosh ...
'' (1964), was Tsuburaya's next project. Often regarded as the best ''kaiju'' film to feature his works, it was produced in celebration of the tenth-anniversary of Toho's ''kaiju'' films and depicts the battle between Godzilla and the title character of the 1961 film ''Mothra''. Tsuburaya utilized his 1900 optical printer to remove damage in composite photographs for the picture and create Godzilla's atomic breath; he also went on location to shoot some composite plates of
Nagoya Castle is a Japanese castle located in Nagoya, Japan. Nagoya Castle was constructed by the Owari Domain in 1612 during the Edo period on the site of an earlier castle of the Oda clan in the Sengoku period. Nagoya Castle was the heart of one of the ...
for the scene where Godzilla destroyed the building. Since ''Godzilla'' actor Haruo Nakajima could not destroy the castle's model entirely, as originally planned, Tsuburaya first attempted to salvage the shot by making Godzilla seem enraged by the castle's strong fortification, before eventually choosing to re-shoot the scene with a more fragile model. He also went on location to shoot a segment featuring the United States Navy discharging missiles at Godzilla: this scene was included in the movie's version for the U.S. market, whereas it was omitted from the original Japanese version. This was one of the rare occasions when a sequence featuring Godzilla was shot outside Toho Studios.


Japanese-American coproductions and ''Ultra Q'' (1964–1965)

In the spring of 1964, Tsuburaya received a visit from frequent collaborator Ishirō Honda on the Hawaiian Island of
Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...
. The effects director was shooting a
dogfight A dogfight, or dog fight, is an air combat manoeuvring, aerial battle between fighter aircraft that is conducted at close range. Modern terminology for air-to-air combat is air combat manoeuvring (ACM), which refers to tactical situations requir ...
and plane crash sequence for
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
's '' None but the Brave'' (released in 1965), the renowned singer and actor's sole directorial picture. As the first major Japanese-American co-production, the epic anti-war film revolved around a troop of American soldiers, stranded in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
during World War II, who are forced to collaborate with an opposition Japanese unit that has also been stranded on the same island. During Honda's visit, Tsuburaya told him he was working on his first television series for Tsuburaya Productions, then-titled ''Unbalance,'' but was struggling to find a lead actor for it. Honda convinced
Kenji Sahara Kenji Sahara (佐原 健二 ''Sahara Kenji'') (born 14 May 1932) is a Japanese actor. He was born in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa. His birth name is Masayoshi Kato (加藤 正好 ''Katō Masayoshi''). Initially he used the name Tadashi Ishihara bef ...
(who starred in ''None but the Brave'' and several Honda-Tsuburaya ''kaiju'' films) to play the team leader for the intended show, which would later become ''
Ultra Q is a 1966 Japanese ''tokusatsu'' ''kaiju'' television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya, first broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) on January 2, 1966 and having its twenty-eighth and final episode aired on December 14, 1967. This series w ...
'' (1966). ''None but the Brave'' was later released in Japan by Toho on January 15, 1965, and was distributed by
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
in the U.S. the following month. In January 1964, while in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, Tsuburaya ordered Oxberry's 1200 optical printer, a model that at the time was owned by only one other studio in the entire world:
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
. Despite having to spend a then-record fee, Tsuburaya wanted to purchase the new printer for Tsuburaya Productions because it was one of the most adaptable post-production tools: moreover, he had used Oxberry's previous iteration of the device on films such as ''Matango''. He went on to operate this technology on ''Ultra Q'', Tsuburaya Productions' first television series, which was a combination of two of his previously discarded projects, tentatively titled ''Unbalance'' and ''WoO''. Principal photography on ''Ultra Q'' began on September 27, 1964, with the shooting of the episode "Mammoth Flower". Airing on the Tokyo Broadcasting System from January 2 to July 3, 1966, the series follows the adventures of a trio who investigates strange phenomena, ranging from supernatural threats to ''kaiju'', in the 20th century. Upon broadcast, around 30% of Japanese households with televisions watched the show, making Tsuburaya a household name and gaining him even more attention from the media, who dubbed him the "God of ''Tokusatsu''". After directing the effects on Honda's ''kaiju'' film ''
Dogora is a 1964 Japanese Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Studios, the film stars Yosuke Natsuki, Nobuo Nakamura, Hiroshi Koizumi, and Akiko Wakabayashi, a ...
'' (released in August 1964), Tsuburaya renewed their collaboration for the ''kaiju'' film, ''
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is a 1964 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the fifth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and was the second ''Godzilla'' film produced ...
'', making 1964 the only time two ''Godzilla'' movies were ever released in the same year (the first one being ''Mothra vs. Godzilla''). Conceived as one of the features celebrating ten years of Toho's ''kaiju'' films, ''Ghidorah'' featured a dragon ''kaiju'' designed as an homage to
Yamata no Orochi Yamata no Orochi (ヤマタノオロチ, also written as 八岐大蛇, 八俣遠呂智 or 八俣遠呂知) is a legendary eight-headed and eight-tailed serpent that appears in Japanese mythology. Both the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon Shoki'' record the ...
,
King Ghidorah is a fictional dragon-like alien monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1964 film ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster'', produced and distributed by Toho. The creature was initially created by Tomoyuki Tanaka, Eiji Tsubu ...
, who opposed Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra in the film. Tsuburaya and Toho executives decided to
anthropomorphize Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
the monsters for the film, despite Honda feeling "uncomfortable" with the decision and being reluctant to use
The Peanuts were a Japanese vocal group consisting of twin sisters Emi (, ''Itō Emi'') and Yumi Itō (, ''Itō Yumi''). They were born in Nagoya, Japan on April 1, 1941. As identical twins they had voices only slightly apart in timbre, which resulted in t ...
(who previously played Mothra's fairies in the namesake film) as the interpreters for the ''kaiju'' in the summit scene. Released on December 20, 1964, ''Ghidorah'' was a massive box office hit, grossing , relatively more than ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'', the series' previous record holder. King Ghidorah would go on to become a frequent antagonist of the ''Godzilla'' franchise. Tsuburaya began 1965 by directing the effects for Seiji Maruyama's war film '' Retreat from Kiska''. Tsuburaya spent two months filming the scene where the fleet circles Kiska Island in thick fog on an indoor stage set since the fog could not be controlled by the wind during open shooting. The sequence where the fleet slips through the rocks was realized by laying a rail at the bottom of the special effects pool and running the warship's miniature on it. The miniatures could not be very large for on-set shooting, and the water flow was pumped to adjust the proportions of the waves and wakes. A large outdoor pool is used in the scene of port entry and departure without fog. For his work on ''Kiska'', Tsuburaya won a Japan Technical Award for Special Skill at the 19th Japan Technical Awards. His next production, '' Frankenstein vs. Baragon'' (1965), depicted
Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein, is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's ...
fighting a new subterranean ''kaiju'', named
Baragon is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1965 film '' Frankenstein vs. Baragon'', produced and distributed by Toho. Depicted as a burrowing, four-legged, horned dinosaur-like creature with large ears, Barag ...
in Japan. Tsuburaya was reportedly enthusiastic about working on the film because the titular monsters were going to be smaller than normal, allowing his team to build larger model sets than the ones used in ''Godzilla'' movies: plus, an actor in make-up— Kōji Furuhata—would be involved to play Frankenstein, rather than leaving the role to a
stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...
in a monster suit. In spite of featuring model sets among the biggest and most detailed models for a Honda-Tsuburaya collaboration, some critics have questioned several of Tsuburaya's ideas, including a puppet used to portray a horse, instead of an actual equine, for a sequence in which Baragon overruns a farmstead. According to Koichi Takano, Tsuburaya said that he used the puppet because it was "more fun". Tsuburaya also made a scene depicting the atomic bomb falling upon Hiroshima, which Honda biographers Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski called an "impressionistic display of smoke and fire". After post-production on the film was finalized for its Japanese release, held two days after the twentieth anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing (August 8, 1965), American co-producer Henry G. Saperstein asked for Toho to film a new ending for the U.S. version: Tsuburaya and Honda, accordingly, re-assembled the cast and crew to shoot the new ending, although it was eventually left unused in both American and Japanese iterations of the motion picture. Still, the alternative ending was later screened at a fan convention in 1982, before featuring as a bonus scene on home video. Following ''Frankenstein vs. Baragon'', Tsuburaya quickly moved on to his next film, Kengo Furusawa's '' The Crazy Adventure'', produced in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Crazy Cats comedy group. Inspired by popular
spy film The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a film genre, genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many Jame ...
s of the time, Tsuburaya's department extensively used " wire action" in outdoor locations, while lead actor
Hitoshi Ueki was a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and guitarist. He won six awards for acting.Hitosh ...
performed most of the movie's action sequences without any stunts. Tsuburaya also directed miniature effects sequences for the film. Released in Japan on October 31, 1965, ''The Crazy Adventure'' was another box office hit for Tsuburaya, earning even more than ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster''. Then, Tsuburaya worked on Honda's ''
Invasion of Astro-Monster is a 1965 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the sixth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise and Shōwa period. The film was a Japanese-American co-production; it was the second collaboration ...
'' (1965), the sixth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise and
Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...
, as well as the second collaboration between Toho and UPA. A direct sequel to ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster'', the movie focuses on two astronauts who land on a planet occupied by an alien race, known as the "Xiliens", as they ask humanity for assistance with Godzilla and Rodan in defeating the "intruder" King Ghidorah. After bringing the astronauts, scientist Sakurai, Godzilla, and Rodan to their planet, the aliens attempt to exploit Ghidorah, Godzilla, and Rodan to conquer the Earth by mind-controlling them. The last ''Godzilla'' film to feature the contributions of Tsuburaya's entire effects unit, ''Invasion of Astro-Monster'' notably features Godzilla's renowned victory dance, which derived from the ''shie!'' dance featured in
Fujio Akatsuka was a Japanese manga artist. Known as the Master of Gag Manga, he created many popular manga such as ''Osomatsu-kun'', ''Himitsu no Akko-chan'', and ''Tensai Bakabon''. Biography He was born in Rehe Province, Rehe, Manchuria, the son of a Ke ...
's comedy manga series ''
Osomatsu-kun is a comedy manga series by Fujio Akatsuka which ran in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' magazine from 1962 to 1969. The series revolves around a group of sextuplet brothers who cause all sorts of mischief. It has been adapted in ...
'' (1962–1969), a popular culture sensation at the time of the film's production. The dance was included in the film after a Toho employee suggested it to Tsuburaya, who was already supportive of anthropomorphizing monster characters with comical characteristics. For his work on ''Invasion of Astro-Monster'', the director obtained the Japan Technical Award for Special Skill the following year.


''Ultraman'' and beyond (1966–1967)

At the height of ''Ultra Qs popularity, TBS aired "The Father of ''Ultra Q''", an episode of their documentary series ''Modern Leaders'', on June 2, 1966. Throughout the episode, Tsuburaya was filmed at work and elsewhere, being even interviewed by individuals dressed in ''Ultra Q'' monster costumes: in this instance, he mentioned for the first time that he was working on a new show to follow ''Ultra Q'', which later turned out to be ''Ultraman''. Tsuburaya had begun working on the new ''tokusatsu'' series in the autumn of the previous year: TBS executives wanted to produce a series as thriving as ''Ultra Q'' and wanted a full-color program that would "take the monster line to the next level". Tsuburaya and writer Tetsuo Kinjō decided to take the barebones concept of ''Ultra Q'' about civilians and scientists haggling monsters: they came up with the idea of a group, tentatively named the "Scientific Investigation Agency" (SIA), formed to deal with ''kaiju'' and supernatural phenomena as the focus of the new show. The pair also agreed to add unused conceptions from ''Ultra Q'' and ''WoO''. Tsuburaya had spent significant amounts of studio money to build his models for the ''Godzilla'' films, so TBS aimed to monetize these miniatures and was looking for a task that could repurpose the sets and suits from the ''Godzilla'' franchise. During designing, Tsuburaya found the original versions of
title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...
's design to be "too alien and sinister", and requested production designer
Tohl Narita was a Japanese visual artist. He is best known for creating the characters and mechanics for the television programs in the ''Ultra'' series: ''Ultra Q'', ''Ultraman'', and ''Ultraseven''. Biography Childhood and education (1929–1954) Nar ...
to keep drafting additional designs as teleplays were being written concurrently. Narita chose to root Ultraman's design in the Greek concept of ''
cosmos The cosmos (, ; ) is an alternative name for the universe or its nature or order. Usage of the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos is studied in cosmologya broad discipline covering ...
'' (order and harmony), in contrast to his previous designs for ''Ultra Q'', which had been inspired by the concept of '' khaos''. Tsuburaya provided input on Narita's designs, with some being inspired by the art of
Miyamoto Musashi , was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto is considered a ''Kensei (honorary title), kensei'' (swo ...
. Ultraman's silver skin symbolized steel from an interstellar rocket, while the red lining represented the surface of
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
. As stated by biographer August Ragone, Ultraman became Tsuburaya's "most popular and enduring creation". The filming sessions for ''Ultraman'' began in March 1966, and the crew was divided into three separate groups for its live-action and special effects. Tsuburaya Productions and TBS initially planned to start broadcasting the series on July 17, 1966, but the latter company chose to release it the week before. Tsuburaya supervised the production of every episode of the series and served as the ''de facto'' special effects director for episodes 18 and 19. After a few meetings between the two companies and sponsors, it was decided that a pilot episode, originally planned as the "Ultraman Eve Festival", would introduce the show's title character. The pilot episode was aired on July 10—one of the dates that have been cited as Tsuburaya's birthday— of that same year, under the title ''The Birth of Ultraman: An Ultraman Premiere Celebration''. ''Ultraman'' became a larger hit than its predecessor, obtaining a 40% viewership. With monsters now available to watch at home weekly, children fewer asked their parents to take them to the theater: consequently, Tsuburaya Productions' triumph in television was diverting box-office money from Toho's ''kaiju'' films. Also in 1966, Tsuburaya worked once again with Honda for the ''kaiju film
The War of the Gargantuas is a 1966 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Referred by film historian Stuart Galbraith IV as a "quasi–sequel" to '' Frankenstein vs. Baragon'', the film was a Japanese-American co-production; ...
'', produced in collaboration with Henry G. Saperstein, which centered on scientists investigating the appearance of two giant hairy humanoids who eventually fight each other in Tokyo. Initially drafted as a sequel to ''Frankenstein vs. Baragon'', the film went through several tentative titles during scripting, and the final film was referred to by film chronicler
Stuart Galbraith IV Stuart Eugene Galbraith IV (born December 29, 1965) is an American film historian, film critic, essayist, and audio commentator. Early life and education Raised in Livonia, Michigan, Galbraith first worked professionally as a film reviewer and ...
as a "quasi–sequel" to its predecessor. The film premiered in Japan in July 1966. After Tsuburaya's series '' Booska the Friendly Beast'' began airing on television in November 1966, he received his last credit as "special effects director" on a ''Godzilla'' film for ''
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep is a 1966 Japanese '' kaiju'' film directed by Jun Fukuda and produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. The film stars Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno, Akihiko Hirata and Eisei Amamoto, and features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, ...
''. However, his disciple actually served as a ''de facto'' special effects director for this film, with Tsuburaya's credit being merely ceremonial. The following year, Tsuburaya directed the effects for ''
King Kong Escapes is a 1967 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was a Japanese– American co-production between Toho and Rankin/Bass, and stars Rhodes Reason, Linda Miller, Akira Takarada, Mie Hama, E ...
'', a Japanese-American co-production created to celebrate Toho's thirty-fifth anniversary. In homage to the dinosaur fighting scene from ''King Kong'' (1933), the director introduced
Gorosaurus is a 1967 Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was a Cinema of Japan, Japanese–Cinema of the United States, American co-production between Toho and Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment ...
, a dinosaurian ''kaiju'' that battles Kong on Mondo Island in the film. The ensuing 1967 release featuring Tsuburaya's contributions was ''
Ultraseven is a List of Japanese television series, Japanese ''tokusatsu'' Science fiction on television, science fiction television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the second entry (third overall) in the Ultra Series and was produced by Tsuburaya ...
'', the third entry in the ''Ultra'' series, which had been influenced by the British TV series '' Thunderbirds''. The series received a 33.7% rating upon beginning airing on October 7, 1967. Also in 1967, he was appointed "special effects supervisor" and handed over the position of special effects director for the ''Godzilla'' film series to Arikawa, starting with ''
Son of Godzilla is a 1967 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Jun Fukuda, with special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa, under the supervision of Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it is the eighth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. It st ...
''.


Final works, last years, and death (1968–1970)

In 1967, Tsuburaya Productions' writing crew took elements from Shinichi Sekizawa's screenplay, ''The Flying Battleship'', and inserted concepts from it into a TV series, ''
Mighty Jack is a tokusatsu science fiction/espionage/action TV series. Created by Japanese effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya, the show was produced by Tsuburaya Productions and was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 6, 1968 to June 29, 1968, with a total of 13 on ...
,'' which was similar in concept to ''
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
'' and ''
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden ...
''. Concerning a team of secret agents established by a prosperous industrialist to oppose the acts of a military organization, referred to as "Q", ''Mighty Jack'' was aimed at a more mature audience, in contrary to the ''Ultra'' series and ''Booska the Friendly Beast''. Due to pressure from
Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...
, the series declined rapidly after the release of its first episode on April 6, 1968, as a consequence of its poor quality: many teleplays were filmed without revision, effects work frequently lacked time, and reshoots were often unattainable. Fuji TV considered the series as a commercial failure, due to its 8.3% audience rating, and they canceled it after Tsuburaya Productions had finished producing just 13 of the scheduled 26 episodes. A sequel to the series, titled ''Fight! Mighty Jack'', later began broadcasting in July 1968. With budgets rising, less returning crew, and theatergoers being dragged away by television, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka chose to conclude the ''Godzilla'' series but offered one last film for the original staff. Honda's consequential ''kaiju'' epic, ''
Destroy All Monsters is a 1968 Japanese epic ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects directed by Sadamasa Arikawa and supervised by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, is the ninth film in the ''G ...
'' (1968), featured effects directed by Sadamasa Arikawa, which Tsuburaya allegedly supervised. His next release of that year was another Seiji Maruyama's war epic, '' Admiral Yamamoto'', which starred
Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor and producer. The recipient of numerous awards and accolades over a lengthy career, he is widely considered one of the greatest actors of all time. He often played hypermasculine characters and was noted for his commandin ...
as
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
Marshal Admiral
Isoroku Yamamoto was a Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II. He commanded the fleet from 1939 until his death in 1943, overseeing the start of the Pacific War in 1941 and J ...
(who was previously the topic of Honda and Tsuburaya's ''Eagle of the Pacific''). ''Destroy All Monsters'' was the twelfth-highest grossing domestic film of 1968, registering an approximately -worth gain, while ''Admiral Yamamoto'' was the second-highest grosser, at roughly . On September 15, 1968, the week after the final episode of ''Ultraseven'' was broadcast and just over a month after ''Admiral Yamamoto'' was distributed to Japanese theaters by Toho, the director's following project for Tsuburaya Productions, ', began airing on the TBS, where he served as the show's supervisor. '' Latitude Zero'', released by Toho in July 1969, was a Japanese-American collaboration produced by Toho and Don Sharp Productions. The production was reported to have had a budget of (equivalent to about ), but Tsuburaya's department had difficulty making realistic creatures for the picture after its American producer pulled out of the project. In comparison, retrospective writers have praised Tsuburaya's model work, especially his submarines, which Ryfle and Godziszewski noted resembled ''Thunderbirds'' machines in
Gerry Anderson Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist, who is known for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s production ...
's show of the same name. Like Honda and Tsuburaya's previous effort, ''Latitude Zero'' only grossed (), making it a box office failure. Tsuburaya quickly moved on to his next project, '' Battle of the Japan Sea'', regarded as the third film in the "Toho 8.15 series" (following ''
Japan's Longest Day is a 1967 Japanese epic film, epic war film directed by Kihachi Okamoto. The subject of the majority of the movie is the period between noon on August 14, 1945, and noon on August 15, 1945, when Emperor Hirohito's decision to surrender to the ...
'' and ''Admiral Yamamoto''). Tsuburaya was provided with his largest budget ever for the Seiji Maruyama-directed war epic film about the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
. Thus, 60 members of his department's artists created an estimated 107 ship miniatures for the film and constructed a 13-meter model replica of the Imperial Japanese Navy's battleship '' Mikasa,'' in contrast to the other 3-meter ships. Released in August 1969, ''Battle of the Japan Sea'' was the second highest Japanese grosser of 1969, earning against its budget. Deemed one of Tsuburaya's masterpieces, ''Battle of the Japan Sea'' was the last production he officially took part in as the special effects director. On the same month, Tsuburaya Productions' next series, '' Horror Theater Unbalance'' (aired in 1973), entered the production process: Tsuburaya was credited as its supervisor. Tsuburaya and several of Toho's effects crew members spent the majority of 1969 working together to create ''Birth of the Japanese Islands'', an
audiovisual Audiovisual (AV) is electronic media possessing both a sound and a visual component, such as slide-tape presentations, films, television programs, corporate conferencing, church services, and live theater productions. Audiovisual service provide ...
exhibit simulating earthquakes and volcanoes, which was set to be part of
Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...
's pavilion at the
Expo '70 The or Expo '70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, between 15 March and 13 September 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...
in
Suita is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 381,238 in 182,636 households, and a population density of 11,000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a suburban city of Osaka City and a p ...
,
Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...
. His commitment to the project prevented him from being involved in the production of ''
All Monsters Attack is a 1969 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Shinichi Sekizawa, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, is the tenth film in the ''Godzilla'' series, and fea ...
'' (1969), and director Honda handled special effects instead of him for the first time. Nonetheless, the director stated that Tsuburaya was "personally involved with the editing," adding: "The film may have been generally put together y others but he definitely looked it over and instructed the staff to shorten certain scenes, and so on." Ignoring his doctor's recent advice to reduce his workload due to declining health, Tsuburaya started displaying symptoms of
unstable angina In dynamical systems instability means that some of the outputs or internal states increase with time, without bounds. Not all systems that are not stable are unstable; systems can also be marginally stable or exhibit limit cycle behavior ...
, and he collapsed while visiting the
Naruto whirlpools The are tidal whirlpools in the Naruto Strait, a channel between Naruto in Tokushima and Awaji Island in Hyōgo, Japan. The strait between Naruto and Awaji island has a width of about . The strait is one of the connections between the Pac ...
during the shooting sessions for the Expo '70 film presentation. He was subsequently sent to in
Meguro is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Meguro City. The ward was founded on March 15, 1947. Meguro is predominantly residential in character ...
to continue his recovery, but refused to remain there, as he expected to complete ''Birth of the Japanese Islands'' on schedule: instead, he accepted an offer to recover and receive medical treatment at Ukiyama Villa on the
Izu Peninsula The is a mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan, the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsu ...
in
Itō, Shizuoka 280px, Itō City Hall is a city located on the eastern shore of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 63,343 and a population density of 510 persons per square kilometer. The total area was . ...
, where he was instructed to cancel any assignments. Concerned about Tsuburaya's future, his son Hajime quit his job at TBS and officially took over his father's position as the president of Tsuburaya Productions on November 30, 1969. In December 1969, Tsuburaya completed filming the Expo '70 project and moved to his Ukiyama Villa with his wife Masano, where he persisted in writing his autobiography and the film outlines ''Japan Airplane Guy'' and ''Princess Kaguya''. While continuing to write the ''Japan Airplane Guy'' story treatment daily, he expressed his desire to work on more projects in the future and return to Tokyo on January 26, 1970. However, on January 25, 1970, at 10:15 P.M., Masano awoke and discovered that Tsuburaya had died while sleeping with her at the villa in Itō, Shizuoka: he was 68 years old. Japanese sources have cited the cause of his death as
angina Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typically the result of parti ...
associated with an
asthma attack Asthma is a common chronic (medicine), long-term inflammation, inflammatory disease of the bronchiole, airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible Airway obstruction, airflow obstruction, and easi ...
. On January 27, a mourning tradition took place at the Tsuburaya family's house. His funeral was held at the Seijō Catholic Church on January 29, with his eldest son Hajime serving as the chief mourner. The following day, he was posthumously awarded the Honorary Chairman Award by the Japanese Society of Cinematographers and the
Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...
by emperor
Hirohito , Posthumous name, posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigni ...
. A Catholic service was held at Toho Studios on February 2, with ''The Last War'' producer Sanezumi Fujimoto providing the services. Five hundred friends and colleagues attended the service, including actor Kazuo Hasegawa, ''The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya'' director Kajirō Yamamoto, ''The Three Treasures'' director Hiroshi Inagaki, and ''A Thousand and One Nights with Toho'' director
Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won t ...
. He was later entombed at the Catholic Cemetery in
Fuchū, Tokyo file:FuchuCityHall2023091.jpg, 260px, Fuchū City Hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western Tokyo, western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Fuchū serves as a regional commercial center and a commuter town for workers in cent ...
, Japan.


Filmmaking


Style, themes, and techniques

Tsuburaya's career in film production evolved from small-scale ''
jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "historical drama, period dramas", it refers to stories that take place before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. ''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the samurai, farmers, crafts ...
'' films to financially successful
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
and
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
epics. During his stint as a cinematographer in the early 20th century, Tsuburaya closely researched international cinema in order to incorporate some of the techniques and improve his innovative style; some of these films include: '' The Lost World'' (1925), ''
Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...
'' (1927), and ''
King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...
'' (1933). Tsuburaya remarked that ''King Kong'' heavily influenced him to work in special effects. He decided to create special effects sequences in films by using miniature effects and synthesis technology involving layered film strips. Tsuburaya constantly converted new special effects techniques and tested them on a daily basis and became the founder and head of Japanese special effects (known as ''
Tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...
''), earning him the title "Father of ''Tokusatsu''". Biographer August Ragone writes that his footage, which was always filmed live on a soundstage, in comparison to modern techniques such as
computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in Digital art, art, Publishing, printed media, Training simulation, simulators, videos and video games. These images ...
, could be "silly or deadly, beautiful or terrifying, but no matter how fanciful or fantastic, his visual effects seem to live and breathe with a life of their own." For ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
'' (1954), Tsuburaya decided to create a new suit acting technique, later known as "
suitmation Creature suits are realistic costumes used to disguise a performer as an animal, monster, or other being. They are used in film, television, or as costumed characters in live events. Unlike mascots, they are often made with a high degree of reali ...
", because the film's small budget and tight schedule restrained him from portraying
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
via
stop motion Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exh ...
(à la ''King Kong''). Film historian Steve Ryfle writes that, although suitmation was not as elaborate as the stop motion techniques by effects pioneers
Willis H. O'Brien Willis Harold O'Brien (March 2, 1886 – November 8, 1962), known as Obie O'Brien, was an American motion picture special effects and stop-motion animation pioneer, who according to ASIFA-Hollywood "was responsible for some of the best-known im ...
(creator of the effects in ''King Kong'') and
Ray Harryhausen Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of both fields. In a career spanning more than 40 ...
(creator of the effects in ''
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms ''The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms'' is a 1953 American independent monster film directed by Eugène Lourié, with stop motion animation by Ray Harryhausen. It is partly based on Ray Bradbury's 1951 short story of the same name, which was later ...
''), it gave the special effects director a more effective approach to depict the destruction sequences that made Godzilla famous. Tsuburaya's endeavors in films often depicted
nuclear holocaust A nuclear holocaust, also known as a nuclear apocalypse, nuclear annihilation, nuclear armageddon, or atomic holocaust, is a Futures studies, theoretical scenario where the mass detonation of nuclear weapons causes widespread destruction and radi ...
s,
world war A world war is an international War, conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I ...
s, monster invasions, and intergalactic conflicts. Despite his movies featuring these apocalyptic and mass destructive themes, he opposed including themes of
graphic violence Graphic violence refers to the depiction of especially explicit or detailed acts of violence in mass media. It may be real, simulated live action, or animated. Intended for viewing by mature audiences, ''graphic'' in this context is a synonym ...
—especially bleeding and slaughter—in his ''
kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...
'' films, believing it was inappropriate for the younger members of the audience. However, Toho executives (such as Iwao Mori) urged Tsuburaya to feature gore in his ''kaiju'' films during the late 1960s, due to the rise in popularity of juvenile-targeted television shows that featured an increase in violent content, with even Tsuburaya's own shows ''
Ultraman The , also known as ''Ultraman'', is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series '' Ultra Q'' in 1966. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, fi ...
'' and ''
Ultraseven is a List of Japanese television series, Japanese ''tokusatsu'' Science fiction on television, science fiction television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the second entry (third overall) in the Ultra Series and was produced by Tsuburaya ...
'' depicting heroes decapitating, slashing, chopping, or otherwise injuring their monster adversaries. According to his protégé
Teruyoshi Nakano was a Japanese special effects director. He is best known for helming the special effects of the last six Showa ''Godzilla'' films and ''The Return of Godzilla'' (1984). Early life Nakano was born on in Andong, Manchukuo (now Dandong, Lia ...
, Tsuburaya told Toho executives: "These movies are for kids. It's nonsense. Why do you enjoy showing them blood?" Rather than have violent themes in his films, Tsuburaya continually employed lighthearted comedy and humanism in his ''tokusatsu'' work. As written by Ryfle, it is implied that this is due to him still being a "child at heart" and having a "soft spot in his heart for children" during his late life. In 1962, Tsuburaya explained: "My heart and mind are as they were when I was a child. Then I loved to play with toys and to read stories of magic. I still do. My wish is only to make life happier and more beautiful for those who will go and see my films of fantasy." His compassion for children helped shape his legacy; notably, the ''Godzilla'' films produced after his death, featuring effects by Nakano, displayed large amounts of graphic violence.


Relationship with cast and crew

According to
Ishirō Honda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 46 feature films in a career spanning five decades. He is acknowledged as the most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki and one of the founders of modern disaster film, wit ...
biographers Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski, it was challenging to cooperate with Tsuburaya, especially for directors. Tsuburaya refused to surrender control of his sector to the
mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso * ...
director: he refused to allow directors to stare into the
viewfinder In photography, a viewfinder is a device on a camera that a photographer uses to determine exactly where the camera is pointed, and approximately how much of that view will be photographed. A viewfinder can be mechanical (indicating only direct ...
in case they assessed elements like the set or camera position and opposed when his footage was re-edited. During the production of ''Godzilla'' (1954), however, Tsuburaya formed a bond with Honda, who had a completely different personality, being deemed as calm and courteous, rarely expressing his emotions towards others. Ryfle and Godziszewski stated that the two infrequently interacted outside
Toho Studios is a Japanese film studio and production company that is a subsidiary of Toho Co., Ltd. One of the most successful films produced by Toho Studio is the live-action film ''Godzilla Minus One'' (2023), which generated more than $100 million at t ...
and were not personal comrades, but nevertheless shared a "''tsu-ka'' relationship". Honda's assistant director Kōji Kajita said that "Other directors such as
Hiroshi Inagaki was a Japanese filmmaker who worked on over 100 films in a career spanning over five decades. He is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed filmmakers in the history of Japanese cinema, having directed several ''jidaigeki'' epics s ...
,
Jun Fukuda was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for directing five entries in the ''Godzilla'' series starting with '' Ebirah, Horror of the Deep'' (1966) as well as the spy films The spy film, also known as the ...
, and
Shūe Matsubayashi (born July 7, 1920 – August 15, 2009, in Shimane Prefecture, Japan) was a Japanese film director. He is best known for films in the comedy film, comedy and war film, war genres. He was also an ordained Shin Buddhism, Shin Buddhist priest. His ...
also worked with Mr. Tsuburaya, but they were all the 'me-first' type and they really didn't work well together. Directors tend to think they are number one, and the effects team should just follow behind. Mr. Tsuburaya didn't appreciate that. Honda-''san'' and Mr. Tsuburaya got along so well because they were both very mature men." Despite often making unrelenting directions on his crew, Tsuburaya was admired by colleagues, many of whom were younger than him and called him an "uncle", mentor, or the "Old Man".
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
suit actor
Haruo Nakajima was a Japanese actor and stuntman. A pioneer of suit acting, he is best known for playing Godzilla in 12 consecutive films, starting from the original ''Godzilla'' (1954) until '' Godzilla vs. Gigan'' (1972). Nakajima also played various other ...
remarked that although Tsuburaya was usually smiling and had a refreshing disposition onset, he was often angry with the staff. Special effects cinematographer Tomioka Mototaka claimed he was in a position to be scolded by Tsuburaya against cinematographer Sadamasa Arikawa; photography assistants Takao Tsurumi and Mitsuru Chokai testified that Tsuburaya did not get angry directly when young individuals in his unit failed, but scolded Arikawa and others, instead. On the contrary, Tsuburaya was rarely infuriated by actors. In an interview regarding August Ragone's biography on Tsuburaya, Nakajima said he was a "very reserved man on the set. Most of the direction he gave me for the performances was, 'I trust you to do it. Do what you feel is best, I'll leave it up to you.' And that's the way he was for most of the films we worked on together after ''Godzilla''." He added: "After the wires broke on the
Rodan is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film of the same name, produced and distributed by Toho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numer ...
suit, causing me to fall several meters onto the miniature set, he chided, 'It's good that you didn't die; because I need you to finish the film.'" In an interview regarding '' Nezura 1964'' (2020),
Ultraman The , also known as ''Ultraman'', is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series '' Ultra Q'' in 1966. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, fi ...
suit actor
Bin Furuya , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor best known for his portrayal of the title character in the 1966 series ''Ultraman''. Furuya would later portray the character Amagi in the sequel series ''Ultraseven''. Furuya has also made appearanc ...
remarked that Tsuburaya was "usually a normal kind person" and always encouraged his actors to "act as if they were in the kind of film that would give dreams to children".


Production and editing

Tsuburaya had several methods to shoot his films. During his stint as a cinematographer, he was the first to use crane shooting and
key light The key light is the first and usually most important light that a photographer, cinematographer, lighting cameraman, or other scene composer will use in a lighting setup. The purpose of the key light is to highlight the form and dimension of the ...
prior to World War II. According to camera operator Mitsuo Miura, Tsuburaya also filmed "pseudo nightscapes" using beer bottle fragments as a filter, and his disciple Sadamasa Arikawa became the first photographer in Japan to shoot with color filters. During his late life, Tsuburaya explained to cinematographer Tomioka that he had always recognized how many frames could be taken with a hand-cranked camera, and he was able to turn it instinctively. Honda said that Tsuburaya's approach to film special effects was "like a physics experiment, no different than trying to make new discoveries." Tsuburaya's lighting engineer Kaoru Saitō remarked that his camera work in special effects only moved sideways or moves up and down with a crane once the main position is decided, and the camera itself does not approach forward. Saitō also testified that he demanded the subject approach the camera and never shot the set from the other side of the camera. When he brainstormed ideas for a new film, Tsuburaya was known for his quiet but intense style. Nakano stated: "I heard about this episode when Mr. Tsuburaya was returning home from work one day and he ran into this woman who kind of looked familiar to him. So he said, 'Hello, it's been a long time.' Do you know who that woman was? It was his wife! Mr. Tsuburaya was so deep into his own thoughts, he kind of lost himself sometimes." According to Arikawa, Tsuburaya also edited his own film work. Tsuburaya's assistant director, Masakatsu Asai, stated that he memorized the situation and storage location of the cuts he shot. Scripter Keiko Suzuki said Tsuburaya envisioned his own editing plan, and he often filmed scenes unscripted. Thus, for instance, scenes were altered from "Battle 1" to "Aerial Battle 2".


Legacy


Cultural impact

In spite of his death, Tsuburaya's name and work remained prominent because his ''
tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...
'' films and television shows generated a global fandom. A year after his death, Tsuburaya's intent to revitalize ''
Ultraman The , also known as ''Ultraman'', is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series '' Ultra Q'' in 1966. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, fi ...
'' was eventuated into ''
Return of Ultraman is a List of Japanese television series, Japanese ''tokusatsu'' Science fiction on television, science fiction television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions. The third entry (fourth overall) in the Ultra series, the series aired on TBS Tel ...
'' (1971-1972), which launched a new string of the "''Ultra''" series throughout the rest of the decade. Despite having difficulty after their father's passing, Hajime, Noboru, and Akira kept running
Tsuburaya Productions also abbreviated as is a Japanese special effects studio founded in 1963 by special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya and was run by his family, until October 2007, when the family sold the company to advertising agency TYO Inc. The studio is b ...
and never gave up his legacy, even when Tsuburaya Productions only had just three employees before the home video revived the ''Ultraman'' series. In 1989, Noboru declared that Ultraman is his father's "most important legacy" even if
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
is Tsuburaya's most popular character overseas. Contemporary writers have frequently stated that Tsuburaya is one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema, with biographer August Ragone claiming that Tsuburaya's cinematic importance is on par with
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...
. ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
s Doug Bolton wrote that even "people not familiar with
Japanese science fiction Science fiction is an important genre of modern Japanese literature that has strongly influenced aspects of contemporary Japanese pop culture, including anime, manga, video games, tokusatsu, and cinema. History Origins Both Japan's histo ...
will easily recognise the legacy of Tsuburaya's work". ''The Tokusatsu Network'' said that Tsuburaya was "possibly the most influential figure in the Japanese film industry" and stated that his legacy "lives on to this day through his creations and has had a large enough impact for him to be compared to
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
." Numerous people in the entertainment industry have spoken of their appreciation for Tsuburaya's work or cited it as an inspiration on their own work, including
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
,
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
,
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
,
Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...
,
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
,
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...
,
John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...
,
Shinya Tsukamoto is a Japanese filmmaker and actor. With a considerable cult following both domestically and abroad, Tsukamoto is best known for his body horror/Japanese cyberpunk, cyberpunk film ''Tetsuo: The Iron Man'' (1989), which is considered the defining ...
,
Hideaki Anno is a Anime, Japanese animator, filmmaker, Film producer, producer, and voice actor. His most celebrated creation, the Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise), ''Evangelion'' franchise, has had a significant influence on the anime television industr ...
,
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...
,
Chris Kirkpatrick Christopher Alan Kirkpatrick (born October 17, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, music producer, podcaster, and actor. He founded the pop group NSYNC, in which he sang countertenor. The band has sold over 70 million records, becomin ...
,
Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...
,
Shinji Higuchi is a Japanese filmmaker. Known for his ''tokusatsu'' blockbusters, Higuchi is considered one of Japan's leading filmmakers of the 21st century. Higuchi became known for his work on '' Gamera: Guardian of the Universe'', for which he won the Spe ...
,
Shunji Iwai is a Japanese filmmaker, video artist, writer and documentary maker. Life and career Iwai was born in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. He attended Yokohama National University, graduating in 1987. In 1988, he started out in the Japanese entertainment ...
,
Kazuo Miyagawa was a Japanese cinematographer. Career Born in Kyoto, Miyagawa was taken with sumi-e Chinese ink painting from the age of eleven and began to sell his work as an illustrator while a teenager. He became interested in the cinema during the 1920s, ...
, and ''
Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to a ...
'' creator
Hajime Isayama is a Japanese manga artist. His first series, ''Attack on Titan'' (2009–2021), became one of the best-selling manga series of all time with 140 million copies in circulation as of November 2023. He was awarded the Kodansha Manga Award in 201 ...
. During the early 1970s, Lucas visited
Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
when looking for a company to produce the special effects for ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' (1977) since Tsuburaya had established the company as a powerhouse for producing special effects. Spielberg stated that Tsuburaya's ''Godzilla'' was the "most masterful of all the dinosaur movies, because it made you believe that it was really happening." His work has also been cited as the inspiration for the music video of
Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...
' song " Intergalactic", the series ''
Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an American media franchise created by Haim Saban, Shuki Levy and Shotaro Ishinomori built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. It is currently ow ...
'' and the film ''
Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The '' Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geological Pacific Ring of Fire. List ...
'', among other projects.


Tributes

Tsuburaya had intended to work on Honda's ''
Space Amoeba is a 1970 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Ei Ogawa, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and Fumio Tanaka, with special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa. Produced and distributed by Toho Studios, the film stars Akira Kubo, ...
'' (1970), but he died shortly after filming began. While the film was completed in Tsuburaya's honor and was his last project to be involved in, Toho executives refused to grant him a dedication in its opening credits. A script for a project entitled ''Princess Kaguya'' was written by Tsuburaya shortly before he died in Izu. Motivated by his father's desire to work on another adaptation of the tale, Hajime Tsubruaya attempted to produce ''
Princess Kaguya is a (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the form. The story details ...
'' into a film for Tsuburaya Productions' 10th anniversary. In the preface of Hiroyasu Yamaura's script for the film, Hajime said he had taken "great pains to incorporate the strengths of various folk tales and fairy tales into a work that children around the world would honestly enjoy". Despite his tireless efforts, he died on the morning of February 9, 1973, before director
Yoshiyuki Kuroda was a Japanese filmmaker and special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction films and television shows. Early life Kuroda was born on March 4, 1928, in Matsuyama, Ehime, in his youth Kuroda's family moved to Kyoto. Kur ...
was scheduled to begin production that evening. Thus, production on the project was canceled. In 1987, producer
Tomoyuki Tanaka was a Japanese film producer, best known as the creator of Godzilla. He produced most of the installments in the ''Godzilla'' series, beginning in 1954 with ''Godzilla'' and ending in 1995 with '' Godzilla vs. Destoroyah''. He was one of the mo ...
turned Eiji Tsuburaya's lifelong ambition into a live-action movie titled ''
Princess from the Moon is a 1987 Japanese film directed by Kon Ichikawa. It is based on ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'', a 10th-century Japanese fairy tale about a girl from the Moon who is discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant. Plot One da ...
'', which featured effects directed by Tsuburaya's protégé
Teruyoshi Nakano was a Japanese special effects director. He is best known for helming the special effects of the last six Showa ''Godzilla'' films and ''The Return of Godzilla'' (1984). Early life Nakano was born on in Andong, Manchukuo (now Dandong, Lia ...
. In 2001, two toy companies distributed figures of Tsuburaya in honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth. In celebration of the 114th anniversary of his birth,
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
artist Jennifer Hom and her colleagues made an animated
doodle A doodle is a drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be composed of random and abstract art, abstract lines or shapes, generally w ...
of his work in special effects on July 7, 2015. The doodle allowed users to create a scene from one of Tsuburaya's key monster movies and television shows. On January 11, 2019, after construction over a period of five years, the Eiji Tsuburaya Museum opened in his hometown of
Sukagawa file:Sukagawa City Hall.jpg, 270px, Sukagawa City Hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 76,251 in 38824 households, and a population density of 270 persons per km2. The tot ...
, a tribute to his life and work in film and television. During the museum's opening ceremony, Mayor Katsuya Hashimoto stated that the museum is "an archival center that will disseminate Japanese special effects to the world." Later that year, filmmaker Minoru Kawasaki began filming '' Monster Seafood Wars'', a ''kaiju'' film loosely based on his unmade film prior to production of ''Godzilla'' about a giant octopus that attacked Tokyo. In commemoration of 120 years since his birth, the
National Film Archive of Japan The is an independent administrative institution and one of Japan's seven national museums of art which specializes in preserving and exhibiting the film heritage of Japan. In its previous incarnation, it was the National Film Center, which was pa ...
held a celebratory event in Sukagawa in cooperation with Tsuburaya Productions from August to November 2021. In September 2021, the first screening of ''
Princess Kaguya is a (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the form. The story details ...
'' since its original 1935 release was held at the event (However, it was in shortened form since the original print is still believed to be lost). On July 10, 2022, a screening of ''
Shin Ultraman is a 2022 Japanese superhero film directed by Shinji Higuchi and written, co-produced, and co-edited by Hideaki Anno. A reimagining of the 1966 television series ''Ultraman (1966 TV series), Ultraman'', the film is a co-production between To ...
'' (2022) was held at the City Cultural Center in Sukagawa as a tribute to Tsuburaya and his series ''Ultraman'' (1966-1967), on which the film was based. The screening was attended by an estimated 950 people, with ''Shin Ultraman'' director Shinji Higuchi and star
Takumi Saitoh is a Japanese actor and filmmaker. He directs films under his birthname, , spelled differently in Kanji but pronounced the same. Early life and work Saito was born on August 22, 1981, in Minato, Tokyo. Saitoh's father worked in the film in ...
discussing the legacy of Tsuburaya's work afterward. Filmmaker and visual effects artist
Takashi Yamazaki is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor. Known for his blockbusters featuring advanced visual effects, he is considered a leading figure in the Cinema of Japan, Japanese film industry. Yamazaki is the recipient of multiple accolade ...
paid homage to Tsuburaya's work in his acclaimed 2023 film ''
Godzilla Minus One is a 2023 Japanese Epic film, epic ''kaiju'' film written, directed, and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki. It is the 37th film in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise, Toho's 33rd ''Godzilla'' film, and the fifth installme ...
''.


Portrayals

Many actors have played Tsuburaya in television dramas and programs. For his portrayal in the 1989 television drama ', an unidentified renowned
Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
actor who had been starring in many of the company's box office hits since before ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
'' (1954) was initially cast as Tsuburaya. However, the famed actor declined the offer, believing he lacked resemblance in appearance to Tsuburaya and therefore was replaced by actor
Kō Nishimura was a Japanese actor. Known in the Western world, West primarily for supporting roles in such films as Akira Kurosawa's ''The Bad Sleep Well'' and ''Yojimbo (film), Yojimbo'', Kihachi Okamoto's ''Sword of Doom'', Yoshitaro Nomura's ''Zero Focus ...
. In 1993, filmmaker
Seijun Suzuki , born (24 May 1923 – 13 February 2017), was a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are known for their florid visual style, absurd humour, and a playful rejection of traditional film grammar. He made 40 predominately ...
played Tsuburaya in the television drama '. For ', a 2022 television documentary on the two screenwriters behind ''Ultraman'', he was portrayed by .


Selected filmography

Because he worked on roughly 250 films over his five-decade career, the following is only a selection of significant productions, and a more comprehensive list, including most of the media that featured his contributions, is covered in a separate article.


Films


Television


Awards and honors


Notes


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* * *
Eiji Tsuburaya
at Sukagawa City
Eiji Tsuburaya
at
Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

Eiji Tsuburaya
at
Tsuburaya Productions also abbreviated as is a Japanese special effects studio founded in 1963 by special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya and was run by his family, until October 2007, when the family sold the company to advertising agency TYO Inc. The studio is b ...

Eiji Tsuburaya
at Tsuburaya Station

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsuburaya, Eiji 1901 births 1970 deaths People from Sukagawa 20th-century apocalypticists Converts to Roman Catholicism Japanese Roman Catholics Japanese science fiction writers Japanese television producers Japanese television personalities Japanese visual effects artists Special effects coordinators Tsuburaya Productions Japanese film editors Japanese inventors 20th-century Japanese inventors Aviation photographers Japanese aviators Japanese cinematographers Japanese science fiction film directors Japanese fantasy film directors Japanese propaganda film directors Imperial Japanese Army soldiers Japanese company founders Japanese animators Japanese documentary film directors 20th-century Japanese businesspeople Japanese screenwriters Japanese male screenwriters 20th-century Japanese writers 20th-century Japanese male writers Japanese film producers Japanese storyboard artists People expelled from public office Deaths from asthma Deaths from angina pectoris Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th class Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure Artists from Fukushima Prefecture Military personnel from Fukushima Prefecture Writers from Fukushima Prefecture People from the Empire of Japan Japanese television show creators Tokyo Denki University alumni