also abbreviated as is a Japanese

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

s studio founded in 1963 by special effects director

Eiji Tsuburaya was a Japanese special effects director, filmmaker, and cinematographer. A co-creator of the ''Godzilla (franchise), Godzilla'' and ''Ultraman'' franchises, he is considered one of the most important and influential figures in the history o ...

and was run by his family, until October 2007, when the family sold the company to advertising agency TYO Inc. The studio is best known for producing the ''

Ultra Series 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, fil ...

''. Since 2007, the head office has been located in Hachimanyama,

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 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 ...

.The Official Tsuburaya Productions English Webpage
company profile

History

First established by Japanese special effects (''

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 ...

'') pioneer

in 1963, it was responsible for the creation of such classic shows as ''

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 its many sequels), ''

Kaiju Booska is a family tokusatsu television series, and the first to feature the friendly monster Booska. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the show aired on Nippon TV from November 9, 1966 to September 27, 1967, with a total of 47 episodes. There was a Bo ...

'' and many other spectacular ''tokusatsu'' family/children's shows. The company, when first formed in 1963, was called . In 1968, Toho Company Ltd. forced the company to change its name to the simpler "Tsuburaya Productions", not only because its executives thought Eiji was acting as though only he could have done special effects, but also because they felt that his own TV shows were becoming a strong competition to the movies he was doing for them. Although Eiji had strong political power at Toho, he and the company were at odds with each other until his death in 1970. The company's current logo was originally the arrow-like logo from their 1968 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 ...

'', designed by that show's art director, Tohl Narita. Tohl Narita left the company the same year. Tsuburaya has officially made their Ultraman and non-Ultraman content widely available on their

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel, even simulcasting several of their series with English subtitles, the channel has reached over 2 million subscribers. Tsuburaya's more recent work includes the "Ultra N-Project" ('' Ultraman the Next'' and ''

Ultraman Nexus is a Japanese tokusatsu TV show. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting (CBC), and Dentsu. It is the thirteenth entry (nineteenth overall) in the Ultra Series and the first to be made for an adult audience. The series aired o ...

'') based loosely on an unused concept which was planned before the production of ''

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 ...

,'' but never actually filmed.

Corporate buyout

In October 2007, due to rising production costs, the Tsuburaya family sold the company to Japanese advertising agency TYO Inc., which then held an 80% stake in the company.

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

, the main licensor of merchandise for the Ultra Series, acquired a 33.4% stake in 2007 with TYO transferring another 15.6% in 2009 giving Bandai a total of 49.9%. As a result, the old Kinuta office used by Tsuburaya as its head office was razed, and the company moved to newer facilities. Kazuo Tsuburaya, Eiji's grandson, stayed with the company on its board of directors. In 2010,

pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Gambling in Japan, Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of l ...

maker Fields Corporation bought out TYO's 51% stake in Tsuburaya Productions, with Bandai retaining the remaining 49%.

Logo Evolution

Tsuburaya Logo.png, Wordmarked version

References

;Bibliography *

External links

* *
Tsuburaya Youtube channelEiji Tsuburaya Official Site
{{Authority control Bandai Namco Holdings subsidiaries Film production companies of Japan Special effects companies Entertainment companies established in 1963 Japanese companies established in 1963 Eiji Tsuburaya Setagaya