Eiji Tsuburaya
Visual Effects
🎂 1901-07-07
Eiji Tsuburaya ranks alongside Willis H. O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen as one of the great visionary SFX masters of twentieth-century fantasy cinema. Best remembered as the amazing special effects genius behind the "Godzilla" series of monster films commencing in 1954, he also contributed effects to a host of other Japanese monster / fantasy / science fiction / drama / propaganda films for over four decades. Eiji Tsuburaya had a keen interest in the cinema from a young age, and legend has it that he acquired a second-hand movie projector when he was only ten years old, and pulled it apart and put it back together with relative ease. He began work as a cinematographer in Kyoto around 1919 and then enhanced his skills to include camera work throughout the 1920s, at which time his eye for detail was in high demand from many studios. Around 1938, he became head of Special Visual Techniques at Toho Studios, and during the Second World War, he was involved in the production of several Japanese propaganda films. He went freelance after the war, and in 1954 he collaborated with director Ishirô Honda on the monster epic Gojira (1954) (aka "Godzilla"). The film was an enormous hit in Japan, and additional scenes were filmed with US actor Raymond Burr and then inserted strategically to give the movie western appeal. "Godzilla, King Of The Monsters" was then released in the USA to strong box office takings, and Godzilla has since appeared in over two dozen films spanning over fifty years, becoming a key cult icon of Japanese culture!! The incredibly talented Tsuburaya went on to be the SFX director behind dozens of Japanese monster & science fiction classics including Sora no daikiju Radon (1956) (aka "Rodan"), Bijo to ekitai ningen (1958) (aka "The H-Man"), Densô ningen (1960) (aka "The Telegian"), Mosura (1961) (aka "Mothra"), Kingu Kongu tai Gojira (1962) (aka "King Kong versus Godzilla"), Varan the Unbelievable (1962), Matango (1963), Furankenshutain tai chitei kaiju Baragon (1965) (aka "Frankenstein Conquers the World"), and Kaiju soshingeki (1968) (aka "Destroy All Monsters" ). Tsuburaya had also established his own production company in 1963 (Tsuburaya Productions), creators of the highly popular "Ultraman" character, and subsequent TV shows and films. On January 25, 1970, while vacationing in Shizuoka Prefecture, Tsuburaya suffered a sudden, fatal heart attack. His incredible film & SFX production company is still active today under the guidance of his grandson, Kazuo Tsuburaya.
Cast credits(1)
Production (9)
Writing (11)
Crew (79)
Special Effects
1965
Special Effects
1954
Special Effects
1962
Special Effects
1943
Special Effects
1955
Creator
1967
Special Effects
1963
Creator
2013
Special Effects
1966
Special Effects
1956
Special Effects
1967
Special Effects
1964
Special Effects
1956
Special Effects
1966
Special Effects
1967
Special Effects
1969
Special Effects
1961
Special Effects
1961
Special Effects
1965
Special Effects
1943
Special Effects
1942
Special Effects
1963
Special Effects
1966
Special Effects Coordinator
1963
Special Effects
1959
Special Effects
1954
Special Effects
1962
Special Effects
1962
Special Effects
1964
Special Effects
1960
Special Effects
1955
Special Effects
1957
Special Effects
1970
Special Effects
1956
Special Effects
1959
Special Effects
1953
Special Effects
1964
Special Effects
1965
Special Effects
1969
Special Effects
1940
Special Effects
1943
Special Effects
1946
Special Effects
1943
Special Effects
1943
Special Effects Coordinator
1961
Special Effects
1977
Special Effects
1965
Special Effects
1958
Special Effects
1942
Special Effects
1960
Special Effects
1946
Creator
1966
Special Effects
1944
Special Effects
1964
Special Effects
1945
Special Effects
1963
Special Effects
1952
Special Effects
1942
Special Effects
1958
Special Effects
1954
Cinematography
1931
Special Effects
1962
Special Effects
1957
Special Effects
1960
Special Effects
1949
Special Effects
1953
Special Effects
1954
Special Effects
1953
Special Effects
1957
Special Effects
1949
Cinematography
1929
Special Effects
1949
Special Effects
1952
Special Effects
1943
Special Effects
1961
Special Effects
1959
Special Effects
1957
Cinematography
1936
Special Effects
1957
Visual Effects (101)
Visual Effects Director
1965
Visual Effects
1965
Visual Effects
1958
Visual Effects Director
1954
Visual Effects
1954
Visual Effects
1957
Visual Effects Director
1962
Visual Effects
1962
Visual Effects Director
1955
Visual Effects
1955
Special Effects Supervisor
1963
Visual Effects
1963
Visual Effects
1966
Visual Effects Director
1966
Visual Effects
1956
Visual Effects Director
1956
Special Effects Supervisor
1967
Visual Effects Supervisor
1967
Visual Effects Director
1964
Visual Effects
1964
Visual Effects Director
1956
Visual Effects
1956
Visual Effects
1958
Visual Effects
1967
Visual Effects Director
1967
Special Effects Supervisor
1969
Visual Effects
1961
Visual Effects Director
1961
Special Effects Supervisor
1968
Visual Effects Director
1965
Visual Effects
1942
Visual Effects Director
1942
Visual Effects
1963
Visual Effects Director
1963
Special Effects Supervisor
1966
Visual Effects
1966
Visual Effects Director
1959
Visual Effects
1959
Visual Effects Director
1962
Visual Effects
1962
Visual Effects Director
1964
Visual Effects
1964
Visual Effects
1958
Visual Effects
1960
Visual Effects Director
1960
Visual Effects Director
1955
Visual Effects
1955
Visual Effects
1957
Visual Effects Director
1957
Special Effects Supervisor
1970
Visual Effects
1956
Visual Effects Director
1956
Visual Effects
1959
Visual Effects
1954
Visual Effects
1964
Visual Effects Director
1964
Visual Effects
1955
Visual Effects
1951
Visual Effects
1969
Visual Effects
1940
Visual Effects Director
1940
Special Effects Supervisor
1959
Special Effects Supervisor
1964
Visual Effects Director
1977
Visual Effects
1977
Visual Effects
1958
Visual Effects Director
1958
Visual Effects
1942
Visual Effects Director
1942
Visual Effects
1960
Visual Effects Director
1960
Visual Effects
1944
Visual Effects Director
1944
Special Effects Supervisor
1961
Visual Effects
1963
Visual Effects Director
1963
Visual Effects
1957
Visual Effects
1958
Visual Effects
1954
Visual Effects Director
1954
Special Effects Supervisor
1947
Visual Effects
1953
Visual Effects
1962
Visual Effects
1957
Visual Effects Director
1957
Visual Effects Director
1960
Visual Effects
1960
Visual Effects
1953
Visual Effects Director
1953
Visual Effects
1940
Visual Effects
1957
Visual Effects Director
1957
Visual Effects
1949
Visual Effects Director
1949
VFX Director of Photography
1942
Visual Effects
1959
Visual Effects Director
1959
Visual Effects
1957
Visual Effects Director
1957
Visual Effects Director
1957
Special Effects Supervisor
1959
