Eiji Tsuburaya
Encyclopedia
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese special effects director responsible for many Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
series. In the United States, he is also remembered as the creator of Ultraman
Ultraman
is Japanese television series that first aired in 1966. Ultraman, the first and best-known of the "Ultra-Crusaders," made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, , a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q...
.
Early life
Tsuburaya described his childhood as filled with "mixed emotions." He was the first son of Isamu Shiraishi and Sei Tsuburaya, with a large extended family. His mother died when he was only three and his father moved to China for the family business. Young Eiji was raised by his barely older uncle, Ichiro, and his paternal grandmother, Natsu. He attended elementary school at the Sukagawa Choritsu Dai'ichi Jinjo Koutou Shogakko beginning in 1908, and two years later, he took up the hobby of building model airplanes, due to the sensational success of Japanese aviators, an interest he would retain for the rest of his life. In 1915, at the age of 14, he graduated the equivalent of High SchoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, and begged his family to let him enroll in the Nippon Flying school at Haneda. After the school was closed on account of the accidental death of its founder, Seitaro Tamai, in 1917, Tsuburaya attended trade school. He became quite successful in the research and development department of the Utsumi
Utsumi
Utsumi is a Japanese family name.People with the name Utsumi include:* Kenji Utsumi * Takeshi Utsumi * Yoshio Utsumi...
toy company, but a chance meeting at a company party in 1919, set the course for his destiny—he was offered a job by director Yoshiro Edamasa, a job that would train him to be a motion picture cameraman. While the Tsuburaya family's traditional religion was Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren...
, Tsuburaya converted to Roman Catholicism in his later years (his wife had already been a practicing Roman Catholic).
Early career and War propaganda
In 1919, his first job in the film industry was as an assistant cinematographer at the Nippon Katsudou Shashin Kabushiki-kaisha (Nippon Cinematograph Company or Kokkatsu for short) in KyotoKyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, which later became better known as Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
. After serving as a member of the correspondence staff to the military from 1921 to 1923, he joined Ogasaware Productions. He was head cameraman on Hunchback of Enmeiin (Enmeiin no Semushiotoko), and served as assistant cameraman on Teinosuke Kinugasa
Teinosuke Kinugasa
-External links:* *...
's ground-breaking 1925 film, Kurutta Ippeiji
A Page of Madness
-External links:*...
(A Page of Madness).
He joined Shochiku Kyoto Studios in 1926 and became full-time cameraman there in 1927. He began using and creating innovative filming techniques during this period, including the first use of a camera crane in Japanese film. In the 1930 film Chohichiro Matsudaira, he created a film illusion by super-imposition. Thus began the work for which he would become known—special visual effects.
1930 was also the year of his marriage to Masano Araki. Hajime, the first of their three sons, was born a year later. During the 1930s, he moved between a number of studios and became known for his meticulous work. It was during this period that he saw a film that would point towards his future career. After his international success with Godzilla
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
in 1954, he said, "When I worked for Nikkatsu Studios
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
, King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
came to Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
and I never forgot that movie. I thought to myself, 'I will someday make a monster movie like that.'"
In 1938 he became head of Special Visual Techniques at Toho Tokyo Studios, setting up an independent special effects department in 1939. He expanded his technique greatly during this period and earned several awards, but did not stay long at Toho.
During the war years (the Second Sino-Japanese war
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
) he directed a number of propaganda films and produced their special effects for Toho's Educational Film Research Division created by decree of the imperial government. Those include Kōdō Nippon (The Imperial Way of Japan) (1938), Kaigun Bakugeki-tai (Naval Bomber Squadron) (1940), The Burning Sky (Moyuru ōzora
Moyuru ozora
is a 1940 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Yutaka Abe.Moyuru ōzora is a war film.Special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya.*Song: Ichiro Fujiyama....
) (1940), Hawai Mare oki kaisen
Hawai Mare oki kaisen
, literally: The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malay, is a 1942 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Kajiro Yamamoto.There are special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya who would later co-create the widely-popular Godzilla franchise and fully create the also widely-popular Ultraman series.- Cast :* Susumu...
(The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya) (1942), Decisive Battle in the Skies (Kessen-no Ōzara-e) (1943) and Kato hayabusa sento-tai
Kato hayabusa sento-tai
aka Colonel Tateo Katō's Flying Squadron and aka Colonel Kato's Falcon Squadron is a 1944 black and white Japanese film directed by Kajiro Yamamoto.It is a war film and there are special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya....
(1944). According to legend, Tsuburaya's work on The War at Sea... was so impressive that General MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
's film unit is said to have sold footage of the film to Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
for use in Movietone
Movietone News
Movietone News is a newsreel that ran from 1928 to 1963 in the United States, and from 1929 to 1979 in the United Kingdom.-History:It is known in the U.S. as Fox Movietone News, produced cinema, sound newsreels from 1928 to 1963 in the U.S., from 1929 to 1979 in the UK , and from 1929 to 1975 in...
newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
s as actual footage of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
.
During the Occupation of Japan following the war, Tsuburaya's wartime association with such propaganda films proved a hindrance to his finding work for some time. He went freelance with his own production company, Tsuburaya Visual Effects Research (working on films for other studios), until he returned to Toho in the early 1950s.
Toho years
As head of Toho's Visual Effects Department (which was known as the "Special Arts Department" until 1961), that he established in 1939, he supervised around an average of sixty craftsmen, technicians and cameramen. It was here that he became part of the team, along with director Ishirō HondaIshiro Honda
Ishirō Honda , sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", was a Japanese film director...
and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
Tomoyuki Tanaka
----Tomoyuki Tanaka was a Japanese film producer, most famous for creating the Godzilla series. He was born in Kashiwara, Osaka, Japan on April 26, 1910, and died in Tokyo on April 2, 1997. He died of a stroke at the age of 86....
, that created the first Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
film in 1954, and were dubbed by Toho's advertising department as "The Golden Trio".
For his work in Godzilla
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
(ゴジラ - Gojira), Tsuburaya won his first "Film Technique Award". In contrast to the stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
technique most famously used Willis O'Brien
Willis O'Brien
Willis Harold O'Brien was an Irish American pioneering motion picture special effects artist who perfected and specialized in stop-motion animation. He was affectionately known to his family and close friends as "Obie"....
to create the 1933 King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
, Tsuburaya used a man in a rubber suit to create his giant monster effects. This technique, now most closely associated with Japanese kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
or monster movies, has come to be called suitmation
Suitmation
is a term originally used in Japan for a tokusatsu technique to portray a daikaiju using a suit actor in a monster suit.The term can be used when puppet does not apply, since the puppet is being worn by an actor, and when costume does not apply, since the costume is also being controlled by a...
(originated in the Japanese fan press during the 1980s). Through intense lighting and high-speed filming, Tsuburaya was able to add to the realism of the effects by giving them a slightly slower, ponderous weightiness. This technique, using detailed miniatures with men-in-monster-suits, is still being used today (but combined with CGI techniques as well) and is now considered a traditional Japanese craft art.
The tremendous success of Godzilla led Toho to produce a series science fiction films, films introducing new monsters, and further films involving the Godzilla character itself. The most critically and popularly successful of these films were those involving the team of Tsuburaya, Honda and Tanaka, along with the fourth member of the Godzilla team, composer Akira Ifukube
Akira Ifukube
was a Japanese composer of classical music and film scores, perhaps best known for his work on the soundtracks of the Godzilla movies by Toho.-Biography:...
. Tsuburaya continued producing the special effects for non-kaiju films like The H-Man
The H-Man
The H-Man, known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1958. The film was made by Toho's legendary Godzilla directing/special effects/producing team of Ishirō Honda, Eiji Tsuburaya, and Tomoyuki Tanaka, and is considered part of Toho's "mutant trilogy," along...
(1958), and The Last War
The Last War (1961 film)
The Last War, known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1961. Its special effects were created by Eiji Tsuburaya who is also known for working on Godzilla and Ultraman....
(1961), and won another Japanese Movie Technique Award for his work in the 1957 science-fiction film The Mysterians
The Mysterians
The Mysterians, released in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1957. It was directed by the "Golden Duo" of Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya . It is notable for being the first tokusatsu filmed in TohoScope and the first Toho film to use...
. He also won another award in 1959 for the creation of the "Toho Versatile System", an optical printer for widescreen pictures, which he built in-house and first used on The Three Treasures in 1959 (Tsuburaya was continually frustrated by the poor state of equipment he was forced to use, and Toho's money-pinching that prevented the acquisition of new motion picture technologies).
A loyal company man, Tsuburaya continued to work at Toho Studios until his passing in 1970.
Tsuburaya Productions
In 1963 Tsuburaya started his own special effects laboratory, and later that year founded Tsuburaya ProductionsTsuburaya Productions
is a Japanese special effects studio founded in 1963 by special effects wizard 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 best known for producing the original Ultraman TV series, as well as the Ultra...
. In 1966 alone, this company aired the first 'monster' series for television, Ultra Q
Ultra Q
is a tokusatsu SF/kaiju series made in the tradition of Toho's many tokusatsu sci-fi/horror films.Produced in black and white by Tokyo Broadcasting System/Tsuburaya Productions, this is actually the first of the long-running Ultra Series, and was broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System from January...
beginning in January, followed it with the highly popular Ultraman
Ultraman
is Japanese television series that first aired in 1966. Ultraman, the first and best-known of the "Ultra-Crusaders," made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, , a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q...
in July, and premiered a comedy-monster series, Booska, the Friendly Beast
Kaiju Booska
is a famous children's tokusatsu sitcom, 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....
in November. Ultraman became the first live-action Japanese television series to be exported around the world, and spawned the Ultra Series
Ultra Series
The is the collective name for all the shows produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad Ultra Monsters. The Ultra Series is one of the prominent tokusatsu superhero genre productions from Japan, along with Toei produced series Kamen Rider, Super...
which continues to this day.
Special effects
During his 50-year career, he worked on approximately 250 films in total. His Visual Effects works include:- Atarashiki Tsuchi (1937) - Director Of Special Effects
- Kaigun Bakugeki-tai (1940) - Special Effects
- Enoken no songokū: songokū zenko-hen (1940) - Special Effects Supervisor
- Shiroi Hekiga (1942) - Special Effects
- Nankai No Hanataba (1942) - Special Photographic Effect
- Tsubasa No Gaika (1942) - Special Effects
- Hawai Mare oki kaisenHawai Mare oki kaisen, literally: The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malay, is a 1942 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Kajiro Yamamoto.There are special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya who would later co-create the widely-popular Godzilla franchise and fully create the also widely-popular Ultraman series.- Cast :* Susumu...
(1942) - Director Of Special Effects - Ahen sensoAhen sensoaka The Opium War is a 1943 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Masahiro Makino."Ahen senso" in Japan refers to the First Opium War...
(1943) - Special Effects - Ai No Sekai: Yamaneko Tomi No Hanashi (1943) - Special Effects
- Ongaku Dai-Shingun (1943) - Special Effects
- Hyoroku Yume-Monogatari (1943) - Special Effects
- Otoko (1943) - Special Effects Supervisor
- Ano hata o uteAno hata o uteaka Fire on that Flag: The End of Corregidor is a 1944 black and white Japanese film directed by Yutaka Abe.- External links :Article on history and analysis: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~amnornes/Dawn.pdf...
(1944) - Special Effects - Kato hayabusa sento-taiKato hayabusa sento-taiaka Colonel Tateo Katō's Flying Squadron and aka Colonel Kato's Falcon Squadron is a 1944 black and white Japanese film directed by Kajiro Yamamoto.It is a war film and there are special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya....
(1944) - Special Effects Supervisor - Tokyo Gonin Otoko (1945) - Special Effects Supervisor (Credited as Eiichi Tsuburaya)
- Urashima Taro No Koei (1946) - Special Photographic Effects
- A Thousand and One Night with Toho (1947) - Special Effects Supervisor
- Hana Kurabe Tanuki Goten (1949) - Special Effects
- Invisible Man Appears (1949) - Special Effects Supervisor
- The Lady of MusashinoThe Lady of Musashinois a 1951 Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi....
(1951) - Special Effects Supervisor - The Skin of the SouthThe Skin of the Southis a 1952 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Ishirō Honda.The film crew includes Akira Watanabe as art director, Kentaro Kondo as lightning technician, sound recordist Yoshio Nishikawa and director of photography Kiyoe Kawamura.-Cast:* Hajime Izu...
(1952) - Special Effects Supervisor - Ashi Ni Sawatta Onna (1952) - Special Effects Supervisor
- The Man Who Came to PortThe Man Who Came to Portis a 1952 Japanese film directed by Ishirō Honda....
(1952) - Special Effects Supervisor - AnatahanAnatahan (film), also known as The Saga of Anatahan, is a 1953 black-and-white Japanese film war drama directed by Josef von Sternberg.It was the final work directed by noted Hollywood director Josef von Sternberg...
(1953) - Specialist (Credited As Tsuburaya) - Seishun Zenigata Heiji (1953) - Special Effects
- The Eagle of the Pacific (1953) - Director Of Special Effects
- Aijin (1953) - Special Effects Supervisor
- Sound of the MountainSound of the Mountainis a 1954 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse starring Setsuko Hara, So Yamamura, Ken Uehara, Yatsuko Tanami. It is based on the novel The Sound of the Mountain by Nobel-Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata....
(1954) - Special Effects - Farewell RabaulFarewell Rabaulis a black-and-white 1954 Japanese film directed by Ishirō Honda.-External links: http://www.ishirohonda.com/works/195402-saraba/195402-saraba.shtml http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1954/cd000430.htm...
(1954) - Director Of Special Effects - Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) - Special Effects
- GodzillaGodzilla (1954 film)is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
(1954) - Special Effects - Tomei NingenTomei Ningenis a black-and-white Japanese action / horror film, originally released in 1954. Produced by the Toho studio, the film is a loose adaption of the science fiction novella entitled The Invisible Man, written by British author H.G. Wells in 1897...
(1954) - Special Effects Director - GinrinGinrinGinrin is Toshio Matsumoto's debut film. He made it in 1955 as an English Language PR film, although "a relatively avant-garde" one. The film score was the first by Toru Takemitsu. It was believed lost for many, many years, however a copy has been recently found. It is believed that a DVD of...
(1955) - Special Effects - Godzilla Raids AgainGodzilla Raids Again, also known in the United States as Gigantis, the Fire Monster, is a 1955 Japanese black-and-white kaiju film directed by Motoyoshi Oda, written by Shigeru Koyama, Shigeaki Hidaka and Takeo Murata, and produced by Toho....
(1955) - Director Of Special Effects - Half HumanHalf HumanHalf Human, originally released in Japan as , is a tokusatsu film produced and released by Toho Film Productions Ltd. in 1955. The film was made by Toho's legendary Godzilla production team of Ishirō Honda, Eiji Tsuburaya, and Tomoyuki Tanaka. This was director Honda's second assignment in the...
(1955) - Director Of Special Effects - Meoto zenzaiMeoto zenzaiis a 1955 black-and-white Japanese film drama directed by Shirō Toyoda. It is an adaptation of the 1939 novel of the same name by Sakunosuke Oda.- Cast :* Hisaya Morishige* Chikage Awashima* Youko Tsukasa* Chieko Naniwa* Haruo Tanaka* and others...
(1955) - Special Effects Supervisor - Godzilla, King of the Monsters!Godzilla, King of the Monsters!Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is a 1956 Japanese/American black-and-white science fiction kaiju film. It is an "Americanized" version of the original Godzilla film, which had previously been shown subtitled in the United States in Japanese community theaters only, and was not known in Europe...
(1956) - Special Effects - Legend of the White Snake (1956) - Special Effects Director
- Rodan! The Flying MonsterRodan (film)Rodan, released in Japan as , is a 1956 Kaiju film produced by Toho Studios. It was the studio's first Kaiju movie filmed in color...
(1956) - Director Of Special Effects - Throne of BloodThrone of BloodThrone of Blood is a 1957 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa. Its original Japanese title is Kumonosu-jō , which means "Spider Web Castle". The film transposes the plot of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth to feudal Japan.-Plot:...
(1957) - Special Effects - The MysteriansThe MysteriansThe Mysterians, released in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1957. It was directed by the "Golden Duo" of Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya . It is notable for being the first tokusatsu filmed in TohoScope and the first Toho film to use...
(1957) - Director Of Special Effects - Song for a BrideSong for a Brideis a 1958 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Ishirō Honda.- Cast :* Mitsuko Kusabue* Akemi Negishi* Reiko Dan* Kenji Sahara* Hiroshi Koizumi* Yoshio Tsuchiya* Sachio Sakai* Fumiko Okamura* Daijirō Natsukawa* Toshiko Nakano* Yutaka Nakayama...
(1958) - Special Effects - The H-ManThe H-ManThe H-Man, known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1958. The film was made by Toho's legendary Godzilla directing/special effects/producing team of Ishirō Honda, Eiji Tsuburaya, and Tomoyuki Tanaka, and is considered part of Toho's "mutant trilogy," along...
(1958) - Director Of Special Effects - Varan the UnbelievableVaran the UnbelievableVaran the Unbelievable, released in Japan as , is a 1958 Kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya , and their last black-and-white monster film. The title character Varan is one of Toho Studios' least-famed creations. Although shown in Japanese-language theaters in the USA, the film...
(1958) - Director Of Special Effects - The Hidden FortressThe Hidden Fortressis a 1958 jidai-geki film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshirō Mifune as General and Misa Uehara as Princess Yuki. A literal translation of the Japanese title is The Three Villains of the Hidden Fortress.-Plot:...
(1958) - Songoku: The Road To The West (1959) - Special Effects Director
- Submarine I-57 Will Not SurrenderSubmarine I-57 Will Not Surrenderis a 1959 Japanese war film directed by Shūe Matsubayashi.Special effects were made by Eiji Tsuburaya.-Cast:* Ryō Ikebe* Tatsuya Mihashi* Akihiko Hirata* Akira Kubo* Susumu Fujita* Minoru Takada* Maria Laurenti* Andrew Hughes* Hisaya Ito- See also :...
(1959) - Special Effects Director - The Birth of JapanThe Birth of Japan, also called The Three Treasures, is a 1959 Japanese tokusatsu fantasy epic film. Telling the story of the creation of Japan according to Japanese mythology, specifically the Shinto religion, it is considered Japan's answer to The Ten Commandments...
(1959) - Director Of Special Effects - Battle in Outer SpaceBattle in Outer SpaceBattle in Outer Space, released in Japan as is a tokusatsu film produced and released by Toho Studios in Japan in 1959, and distributed worldwide in 1960 by Columbia Pictures...
(1959) - Special Effects - The Secret of the Telegian (1960) - Special Effects
- Storm Over the Pacific (1960) - Special Effects Director
- The Human VaporThe Human VaporThe Human Vapor, known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1960. The film was made by Toho's legendary Godzilla directing/special effects/producing team of Ishirō Honda, Eiji Tsuburaya, and Tomoyuki Tanaka...
(1960) - Director Of Special Effects - Osaka Jo Monogatari (1961) - Director Of Special Effects
- MothraMothra (film)is a 1961 Kaiju film from Toho Studios, directed by genre regular Ishirō Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the kaiju eiga debut of screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa, whose approach to the genre grew to prominence during the 1960s...
(1961) - Director Of Special Effects - Blood On The Sea (1961) - Special Effects Director
- Gen To Fudomyo-O (1961) - Director Of Special Effects
- The Last WarThe Last War (1961 film)The Last War, known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1961. Its special effects were created by Eiji Tsuburaya who is also known for working on Godzilla and Ultraman....
(1961) - Special Effects Director - GorathGorathGorath, released in Japan as , is a Japanese science fiction tokusatsu film produced by Toho in 1962. The story for Gorath was by Jojiro Okami.-Synopsis:...
(1962) - Special Effects Director - Kurenai No Sora (1962) - Special Effects Director
- King Kong vs. GodzillaKing Kong vs. Godzillais a 1962 Japanese science fiction kaiju film produced by Toho Studios. Directed by Ishirō Honda with visual effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, the film starred Tadao Takashima, Kenji Sahara, and Mie Hama. It was the third installment in the Japanese series of films featuring the monster Godzilla...
(1962) - Director Of Special Effects - Chushingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki (1962) - Special Effects Director
- Varan the UnbelievableVaran the UnbelievableVaran the Unbelievable, released in Japan as , is a 1958 Kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya , and their last black-and-white monster film. The title character Varan is one of Toho Studios' least-famed creations. Although shown in Japanese-language theaters in the USA, the film...
(1962) - Director Of Special Effects - Attack Squadron! (1963) - Special Effects Director
- Chintao Yosai Bakugeki Meir Ei (1963) - Special Effects Director
- MatangoMatango, also known as Matango, Fungus of Terror and Attack of the Mushroom People, is a 1963 Japanese tokusatsu movie. It was directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Takeshi Kimura based on the story "The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson , and had special...
(1963) - Director Of Special Effects - The Lost World Of Sinbad (1963) - Special Effects Director
- AtragonAtragonAtragon, released in Japan as , is a 1963 Toho tokusatsu film based on a series of juvenile adventure novels under the banner Kaitei Gunkan by Shunrō Oshikawa and the illustrated story Kaitei Okoku by illustrator Shigeru Komatsuzaki, serialized in a monthly magazine for boys...
(1963) - Director Of Special Effects - Shikonmado - Dai Tatsumaki (1964) - Special Effects Director
- Kyomo Ware Ozorami Ari (1964) - Special Effects Supervisor
- Mothra vs. GodzillaMothra vs. Godzillais a 1964 science fiction kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda. It was the fourth film to be released in the Godzilla series, produced by Toho Company Ltd...
(1964) - Director Of Special Effects - Dogora, the Space Monster (1964) - Director Of Special Effects
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed MonsterGhidorah, the Three-Headed MonsterGhidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, released in Japan as and originally released in the US as Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster, is a 1964 science fiction kaiju film, and is the 5th film in Toho's Godzilla series...
(1964) - Special Effects Director - None But the BraveNone But the BraveNone But the Brave, also known as in Japan, is a 1965 war film starring Frank Sinatra, Clint Walker, Tatsuya Mihashi, Tommy Sands and Brad Dexter. This is the only film directed by Frank Sinatra, and the first Japanese-American co-production, produced by Sinatra for Warner Bros...
(1965) - Special Effects Director: Toho Special Effects Group - War-Gods of the DeepWar-Gods of the DeepWar-Gods of the Deep is a 1965 science fiction film. It was directed by Jacques Tourneur and starred Vincent Price, Tab Hunter and David Tomlinson. The plot concerns the discovery of a lost city beneath the sea off the coast of Cornwall...
(1965) - Director Of Special Effects: Footage Taken From The Toho Production Atragon - Taiheiyo Kiseki No Sakusen: Kisuka (1965) - Director Of Special Effects
- Frankenstein Conquers the WorldFrankenstein Conquers the WorldFrankenstein Conquers the World, released in Japan as , with Toho's official English title being Frankenstein vs. Baragon, is a kaiju film produced in 1965 by Toho Company Ltd...
(1965) - Director Of Special Effects - Crazy Adventure (1965) - Special Effects Director
- Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini MachineDr. Goldfoot and the Bikini MachineDr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine is a 1965 American International Pictures film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Vincent Price, Frankie Avalon, Dwayne Hickman, Susan Hart and Deborah Walley...
(1965) - Director Of Special Effects: Footage Taken From The Toho Production Godzilla Vs. The Thing - Invasion of Astro-MonsterInvasion of Astro-MonsterInvasion of Astro-Monster is a Science Fiction kaiju film released in 1965 as a direct sequel to Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster...
(1965) - Special Effects Director - Ironfinger (1965) - Special Effects
- War of the GargantuasWar of the GargantuasThe War of the Gargantuas, released in Japan as , is a 1966 Kaiju film, sequel to Frankenstein vs. Baragon.It introduces two giant, hairy humanoids called Gargantuas, which spawned from the discarded cells of Frankenstein's monster from the previous film and are described as brothers...
(1966) - Director Of Special Effects - Zero Faita Dai Kusen (1966) - Special Effects Director
- Godzilla vs. the Sea MonsterGodzilla vs. the Sea MonsterGodzilla vs. the Sea Monster, released in Japan as and known internationally as Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, is a 1966 science fiction kaiju film directed by Jun Fukuda and written by Shinichi Sekizawa. This is the first film in the series with special effects directed by Sadamasa Arikawa...
(1966) - Visual Effects Supervisor - King Kong EscapesKing Kong EscapesKing Kong Escapes, released in Japan as , is a 1967 Kaiju film. A Japanese/American co-production from Toho and Rankin/Bass . Directed by Ishiro Honda and featuring special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, the film starred both American actors alongside Japanese actors...
(1967) - Director Of Special Effects - Son of GodzillaSon of GodzillaSon of Godzilla, released in Japan as , is a 1967 science fiction kaiju film. The eighth part of the Toho studio's Godzilla series, it was directed by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa It is the first film to feature Kamacuras, Kumonga, and Minilla.-Plot:A team of scientists are...
(1967) - Visual Effects Supervisor - Destroy All MonstersDestroy All MonstersDestroy All Monsters, released in Japan as , is a 1968 Japanese horror Science fiction Kaiju film. The ninth in Toho Studios' Godzilla series, it was directed by Ishirō Honda with special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa This is the fifth film to feature Mothra, third to feature King Ghidorah, fourth...
(1968) - Visual Effects Supervisor - Rengo Kantai Shirei Chokan: Yamamoto Isoroku (1968) - Special Effects Director
- Kureji No Daibakuhatsu (1969) - Special Effects Supervisor
- Latitude Zero (1969) - Director Of Special Effects
- Battle Of Japan Sea (1969) - Special Effects Director
- All Monsters AttackAll Monsters AttackAll Monsters Attack, released in Japan as , is a 1969 tokusatsu Kaiju film, also known as Godzilla's Revenge The 10th film in Toho Studio's Godzilla series, it was directed by Ishirō Honda, who also directed the special effects, assisted by Teruyoshi Nakano. This is the second film to feature...
(1969) - Special Effects - UltramanUltraman (1979 film)is a 1979 Japanese tokusatsu kaiju film directed by Akio Jissoji. It is a compilation film made up of scenes from Jissoji's episodes of the original Ultraman TV series.- Cast :*Akiji Kobayashi*Susumu Kurobe*Sandayū Dokumamushi*Masanari Nihei*Hiroko Sakurai...
(1979) - Special Effects Supervisor (archive material) - Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive BattleUltraman: Great Monster Decisive Battleis a 1979 Japanese tokusatsu kaiju film produced by Tsuburaya Productions, consisting of re-edited material from the original television series Ultraman.- Cast :*Akiji Kobayashi*Susumu Kurobe*Sandayū Dokumamushi*Masanari Nihei*Hiroko Sakurai-Monsters:...
(1979) - Special Effects Supervisor (archive material)
Cinematography
- Giketsu (1925)
- Kaito Samimaro (1928) (credited as Eiichi Tsuburaya)
- Kagaribi (1928) (credited as Eiichi Tsuburaya)
- Castle Of Wind And Clouds (1928) (credited as Eiichi Tsuburaya)
- Nogitsune Sanji (1930) (credited as Eiichi Tsuburaya)
- Shintei Shiobara Tasuke (1930)
- Fubuki Ni Sakebu Okami (1931) (credited as Eiichi Tsuburaya)
- Beni-Komori - Dai Ippen (1931)
- Beni-Komori - Dai Nihen: Yuyaku Kessen No Maki (1931)
- Beni-Komori - Dai Sampen: Ketsurui Tonami Chohachiro No Maki (1931)
- Hyakuman-nin No Gassho (1935)
- Kaguya Hime (1935)
- Sekido Koete (1936)
- Major Nango (1938)
- Kodo Nippon (1940)
- Tomei NingenTomei Ningenis a black-and-white Japanese action / horror film, originally released in 1954. Produced by the Toho studio, the film is a loose adaption of the science fiction novella entitled The Invisible Man, written by British author H.G. Wells in 1897...
(1954)
Producer
- Ultra QUltra Qis a tokusatsu SF/kaiju series made in the tradition of Toho's many tokusatsu sci-fi/horror films.Produced in black and white by Tokyo Broadcasting System/Tsuburaya Productions, this is actually the first of the long-running Ultra Series, and was broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System from January...
(1965) - UltramanUltramanis Japanese television series that first aired in 1966. Ultraman, the first and best-known of the "Ultra-Crusaders," made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, , a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q...
(1966) - Supervising Producer - Full-Length Monster Movie: UltramanUltraman (1967 film)is a 1967 Japanese tokusatsu kaiju film consisting of re-edited material from the original television series Ultraman, directed by Hajime and Eiji Tsuburaya and produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Toho.- Cast :*Akiji Kobayashi as Capt...
(1967) - Ultra SevenUltra Sevenis tokusatsu SF TV series that aired on Japanese TV in 1967. Created by Eiji Tsuburaya, this follow up to Ultraman went on to become one of Japan's greatest fantasy TV series...
(1967) - Supervising Producer - Mighty JackMighty Jackwas a tokusatsu SF/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 one-hour episodes...
(1968) - Operation: Mystery! (1968)
- Kyofu Gekijo Umbalance: (Episode: "Miira No Koi") (1973)
Camera and electrical department
- A Page of MadnessA Page of Madness-External links:*...
(1926) - Assistant Camera (credited as Eiichi Tsuburaya) - Enmeiin No Semushi-Otoko (1920) - Camera Operator (credited as Eiichi Tsuburaya)
Other works
- Kodo Nippon (1940) - Editor
- Ultra Q No Oyaji (1966) - Himself
- Latitude Zero (1969) - Production Manager
- Godzilla: Save the EarthGodzilla: Save the EarthGodzilla: Save the Earth is a fighting game released on November 2, 2004 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox game consoles based on characters and situations from the Godzilla film series. The game is itself the sequel to the 2002 game Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee which was released for the...
(2004) - Animation Department (Character Designer: King Ghidorah) - ETV Tokushu: 50 Year-History In Japanese Sci-Fi (2007) - Himself (Archive Footage)