Eiji Tsuburaya

### **Website**

[http://www.eiji-tsuburaya.gr.jp/ Eiji Tsuburaya Official Site (Japanese and English)

### **Other site(s)**

The Official Tsuburaya Productions Webpage[1]

### **Notable work**

*Godzilla**Ramayana*
*Monkey Sun*

### **First film**

*Ramayana*

Eiji Tsuburaya (圓谷英一,   *Tsumuraya Eiichi*?) was a famuos special effects director responsible for many science-fiction films and television series. He was one of the co-creators of the Godzilla series, as well as the main creator of the Ultraman his real name was Eiichi Tsumuraya.

In 1963, Tsuburaya founded his own special effects studio, Tsuburaya Productions, which would become known for producing the *Ultra* series. Tsuburaya himself served as supervisor for several of the studio's early tokusatsu television series, including *Ultra Q*, *Ultraman* and *Ultraseven*. Toward the end of his life, Tsuburaya continued to receive honorary credit for supervising and directing the special effects in Toho's kaiju films, even though his responsibilities with his own company and eventually his declining health prevented him from actually working on the films. Tsuburaya's understudy Teruyoshi Nakano would take over as Toho's primary special effects director following Tsuburaya's death of a heart attack on January 25, 1970. Tsuburaya's company, Tsuburaya Productions, continued operating under his family until 2007, when it was acquired by TYO Inc. On January 11, 2019, the Eiji Tsuburaya Museum opened in his hometown of Sukagawa, commemorating his life and films.

## Films

* *Atarashiki Tsuchi* (1937) – Director of Special Effects
* *Kaigun Bakugeki-tai* (1940) – Special Effects
* *Moyuru ōzora* (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 kaisen* (1942) – Director of Special Effects
* *Ahen senso* (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 ute* (1944) – Special Effects
* *Kato hayabusa sento-tai* (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 Nights with Toho* (1947) – Special Effects Supervisor
* *Hana Kurabe Tanuki Goten* (1949) – Special Effects
* Invisible man appears (1949) – Special Effects Supervisor
* *The Lady of Musashino* (1951) – Special Effects Supervisor
* *The Skin of the South* (1952) – Special Effects Supervisor
* *Ashi Ni Sawatta Onna* (1952) – Special Effects Supervisor
* *The Man Who Came to Port* (1952) – Special Effects Supervisor
* *Anatahan* (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 Mountain* (1954) – Special Effects
* *Farewell Rabaul* (1954) – Director of Special Effects
* *Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto* (1954) – Special Effects
* *Godzilla* (1954) – Special Effects
* *Tomei Ningen* (*The Invisible Avenger*) (1954) – Director of Special Effects
* *Ginrin* (1955) – Special Effects
* *Godzilla Raids Again* (1955) – Director of Special Effects
* *Half Human* (1955) – Director of Special Effects
* *Meoto zenzai* (1955) – Special Effects Supervisor
* *Godzilla, King of the Monsters!* (re-edited American version) (1956) – Special Effects
* *Legend of the White Snake* (1956) – Director of Special Effects
* *Giant Monster of the Sky, Radon* (1956) – Director of Special Effects
* *Throne of Blood* (1957) – Special Effects
* *The Mysterians* (1957) – Director of Special Effects
* *Song for a Bride* (1958) – Special Effects
* *The H-Man* (1958) – Director of Special Effects
* *Varan the Unbelievable* (1958) – Director of Special Effects
* *The Hidden Fortress* (1958)
* *Songoku: The Road To The West* (1959) – Director of Special Effects
* *Submarine I-57 Will Not Surrender* (1959) – Director of Special Effects
* *The Birth of Japan* (1959) – Director of Special Effects
* *Battle in Outer Space* (1959) – Special Effects
* *The Secret of the Telegian* (1960) – Special Effects
* *Storm Over the Pacific* (1960) – Director of Special Effects
* *The Human Vapor* (1960) – Director of Special Effects
* *Osaka Jo Monogatari* (1961) – Director of Special Effects
* *Mothra* (1961) – Director of Special Effects
* *Blood On The Sea* (1961) – Director of Special Effects
* *Gen To Fudomyo-O* (1961) – Director of Special Effects
* *The Last War* (1961) – Director of Special Effects
* *Gorath* (1962) – Director of Special Effects
* *Kurenai No Sora* (1962) – Director of Special Effects
* *King Kong vs. Godzilla* (1962) – Director of Special Effects
* *Chushingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki* (1962) – Director of Special Effects
* *Varan the Unbelievable* (re-edited American version) (1962) – Director of Special Effects
* *Attack Squadron!* (1963) – Director of Special Effects
* *Chintao Yosai Bakugeki Meirei* (1963) – Director of Special Effects
* *Matango* (1963) – Director of Special Effects
* *The Lost World of Sinbad* (1963) – Director of Special Effects
* *Atragon* (1963) – Director of Special Effects
* *Shikonmado – Dai Tatsumaki* (1964) – Director of Special Effects
* *Kyomo Ware Ozorani Ari* (1964) – Special Effects Supervisor
* *Mothra vs. Godzilla* (1964) – Director of Special Effects
* *Dogora, the Space Monster* (1964) – Director of Special Effects
* *Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster* (1964) – Director of Special Effects
* *None but the Brave* (1965) – Director of Special Effects: Toho Special Effects Group
* *War-Gods of the Deep* (1965) – Director of Special Effects: footage taken from the Toho production *Atragon*
* *Taiheiyo Kiseki No Sakusen: Kisuka* (1965) – Director of Special Effects
* *Frankenstein vs. the underground: baragon* (1965) – Director of Special Effects
* *Crazy Adventure* (1965) – Director of Special Effects
* *Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine* (1965) – Director of Special Effects: footage taken from the Toho production *Godzilla vs. the Thing*
* *Invasion of Astro-Monster* (1965) – Director of Special Effects
* *Ironfinger* (1965) – Special Effects
* *The War of the Gargantuas* (1966) – Director of Special Effects
* *Zero Faita Dai Kuusen* (1966) – Director of Special Effects
* *Ebirah, Horror of the Deep* (1966) – Visual Effects Supervisor
* *King Kong Escapes* (1967) – Director of Special Effects
* *Son of Godzilla* (1967) – Visual Effects Supervisor
* *Destroy All Monsters* (1968) – Visual Effects Supervisor
* *Rengō Kantai Shirei Chōkan: Yamamoto Isoroku* (1968) – Director of Special Effects
* *Kureji No Daibakuhatsu* (1969) – Special Effects Supervisor
* *Latitude Zero* (1969) – Director of Special Effects
* *The Battle of the Japan Sea* (1969) – Director of Special Effects
* *All Monsters Attack* (1969) – Special Effects
* *Ultraman* (1979) – Special Effects Supervisor (archive material)
* *Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle* (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 Ningen* (1954)

### Producer

* *Ultra Q* (1965)
* *Ultraman* (1966) – Supervising Producer
* *Full-Length Monster Movie: Ultraman* (1967)
* *Ultra Seven* (1967) – Supervising Producer
* *Mighty Jack* (1968)
* *Operation: Mystery!* (1968)
* *Kyofu Gekijo Umbalance*: *(Episode: "Miira No Koi")* (1973)

### Director

* *Major Nango* (1938)
* *Sekido Koete* (1936)

### Camera and electrical department

* *A Page of Madness* (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 Earth* (2004) – Animation Department (character designer: King Ghidorah)
* *ETV Tokushu: 50 Year-History In Japanese Sci-Fi* (2007) – Himself (archive footage)