Eiji Tsuburaya

Known For: Visual Effects
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: July 7, 1901
Day of Death: January 25, 1970 (69 years old)
Place of Birth: 日本,京都府
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.
2022
2020
2019
2017
1993
1979
1977
1972
1970
1969
1968
1967

Director
Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature

Visual Effects
Son of Godzilla

Visual Effects
King Kong Escapes

Special Effects
King Kong Escapes

Visual Effects Director
King Kong Escapes

Production Supervisor
Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature

Producer
Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature

Creator
Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature
1966

Actor
ウルトラマン前夜祭 ウルトラマン誕生

Actor
The Father of Ultra Q

Special Effects
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

Special Effects Supervisor
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

Visual Effects
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

Special Effects
Zero Fighter

Visual Effects
The War of the Gargantuas

Creator
The Birth of Ultraman

Visual Effects Director
The War of the Gargantuas

Special Effects
The War of the Gargantuas
1965
1964

Special Effects
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

Special Effects
Mothra vs. Godzilla

Special Effects Supervisor
Whirlwind

Visual Effects Director
Mothra vs. Godzilla

Visual Effects
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

Visual Effects Director
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

Special Effects
Tiger Flight

Visual Effects
Mothra vs. Godzilla

Special Effects
Dogora

Visual Effects
Dogora

Visual Effects Director
Dogora
1963
1962
1961
1960

Special Effects
The Human Vapor

Visual Effects
The Human Vapor

Visual Effects Director
The Human Vapor

Visual Effects
The Secret of the Telegian

Special Effects
The Storm of the Pacific

Visual Effects
The Storm of the Pacific

Visual Effects Director
The Storm of the Pacific

Visual Effects Director
The Secret of the Telegian

Special Effects
The Secret of the Telegian
1959

Special Effects
Battle in Outer Space

Visual Effects Director
Battle in Outer Space

Special Effects Supervisor
The Adventures of Sun Wu Kung

Special Effects
The Three Treasures

Special Effects
Gigantis, the Fire Monster

Visual Effects
Gigantis, the Fire Monster

Visual Effects Director
Gigantis, the Fire Monster

Special Effects Supervisor
Submarine I-57 Will Not Surrender

Visual Effects
The Three Treasures

Visual Effects
Battle in Outer Space
1958

Visual Effects
Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman

Visual Effects
The Tale of the White Serpent

Visual Effects
The H-Man

Visual Effects
Varan

Visual Effects
The Hidden Fortress

Special Effects
Varan

Special Effects
Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman

Visual Effects Director
Varan

Visual Effects Director
Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman

Special Effects
Song for a Bride

Visual Effects
Song for a Bride
1957

Special Effects
The Mysterians

Visual Effects
Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean

Visual Effects Director
Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean

Story
Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean

Special Effects
Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean

Visual Effects
Throne of Blood

Visual Effects
The Paradise Island Story

Visual Effects
The Mysterians

Story
Tokyo 1960

Special Effects
Tokyo 1960

Visual Effects
Tokyo 1960

Visual Effects Director
Tokyo 1960

Visual Effects Director
The Mysterians
1956

Visual Effects
Rodan

Story
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

Special Effects Supervisor
The Legend of the White Serpent

Visual Effects Director
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

Special Effects
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

Visual Effects Director
Rodan

Special Effects
Rodan

Visual Effects
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
1955
1954

Visual Effects
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto

Special Effects
Sound of the Mountain

Story
Godzilla

Special Effects
Farewell Rabaul

Visual Effects Director
Godzilla

Visual Effects
Godzilla

Special Effects
Godzilla

Visual Effects
Invisible Man

Director of Photography
Invisible Man

Special Effects
Invisible Man

Visual Effects Director
Invisible Man
1953
1952
1951
1949
1947
1946
1945
1944
1943
1942

VFX Director of Photography
Bouquet of the South Seas

Screenplay
Ramayana

Special Effects
Ramayana

Special Effects
The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya

Visual Effects
The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya

Visual Effects Director
The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya

Special Effects
Wings of Victory

Visual Effects
Wings of Victory

Visual Effects Director
Wings of Victory