Eiji Tsuburaya

**Eiji Tsuburaya** (円谷 英二, *Tsuburaya Eiji*) (born **Eiichi Tsumuraya** (圓谷 英一, *Tsumuraya Eiichi*); July 7, 1901 – January 25, 1970,) was a Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction films and television shows. He was one of the co-creators of the Godzilla series, as well as the main creator of the Ultra series. During his rise to post-war fame in the wake of Godzilla (1954), many press accounts gave Tsuburaya's birthdate as July 7, which falls on the high day of Tanabata (star festival), a sign of good fortune. He is also the founder of the Tsuburaya Productions, where he create superheroes with speical effects like Ultra Series, Mirrorman, Fireman, Mighty Jack, Redman, Operation: Mystery!, Emergency Command 10-4, 10-10, Jumborg Ace, Saru no Gundan, Pro-Wres no Hoshi Aztecaser, and Starwolf.

## Eiji Tsuburaya

### Birth date

July 7, 1901
Sukagawa, Fukushima, Japan

### Death date

January 25, 1970 (68)
Itō, Shizuoka, Japan

### Occupation

Special effects director
Producer

## Career

Cameraman, handyman, pilot, director, inventor, and special effects wizard who brought the *kaiju eiga* genre into being and nurtured it throughout the 50s and 60s. Tsuburaya’s influence is felt all throughout Japanese entertainment; he is generally credited with inventing Japan’s two biggest properties: Godzilla and Ultraman. He was the first individual at Toho to bear the title “Director of Special Effects,” a title of respect that would be handed down ceremoniously after his passing. (Noriaki Yuasa, director of the Gamera films for rival studio Daiei, paid tribute to Tsuburaya by refusing to appropriate the title for himself.)

Tsuburaya originally aspired to be a pilot, but the only flight school in his area closed down when their only plane was destroyed in a crash. He was a self-taught tinkerer, reverse engineering storebought devices to create his own varieties, especially film cameras. Tsuburaya joined Kunikatsu Sugamo Studios in 1920 hoping to be an aerial photographer (and finally get his wish to fly planes for a living), but a more experienced photographer had already assumed that role and he had to make do with other camera work.

Tsuburaya eventually wound up at the Kyoto branch of Shochiku studios, where he began experimenting with new camera techniques, including the use of cranes. He met his wife, Masano Araki, in the hospital while recovering from a fall off of said cranes. He developed transition techniques for use in film such as the iris fade. He also used background miniatures to give depth to the shooting sets on a budget. He was attracted to Nikkatsu studios in the 30s because they had a relationship with the newly founded Japanese Cameraman Association. During his tenure at Nikkatsu, he watched *King Kong* (1933) during its original release, which inspired him to pursue special effects.

In 1937, Tsuburaya joined the newly founded Toho Studios, which put him to work on “special photography” for their war propaganda films. Tsuburaya utilized miniature planes and ships to simulate the Japanese Navy’s battles at sea. In particular *The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaysia* (1942) gained popularity because of its endorsements from members of the Japanese government, who were stunned by the realistic quality of its miniature battles. During this time Tsuburaya began gathering his core group of cameramen and technicians who would remain loyal to him for the rest of his career. However, in 1948, the allied powers occupying Japan expelled Tsuburaya from Toho for his participation in propaganda filmmaking. Tsuburaya bade his time working in his self-founded studio (along with his fellow exiled technicians), seeking favors from his working friends (including film composer Akira Ifukube), and providing services to other studios with less-sophisticated filming equipment like Daiei. It was during this time that Tsuburaya’s personal studio provided Toho with its iconic “Toho Mark” logo, which is still used to this day.

Tsuburaya returned to Toho in 1952. A year later, he was approached to work on Japan’s first giant monster film, *Godzilla*. He initially wanted to use stop-motion animation as in *King Kong*, but time and budget constraints forced him to choose a different path: an actor in a full-body costume on a miniature set, a process that became known as “suitmation.” Production was fraught with difficulty, but the end result was a film that far exceeded expectations and birthed a new film genre that would keep Tsuburaya occupied for decades.

Two of his sons, Hajime & Noburu, are television producers at the studio worked on many projects and developed ideas for a new characters.