Getting To Know Eiji Tsuburaya (The Father Of Tokusatsu & Ultraman)

Getting To Know Eiji Tsuburaya (The Father Of Tokusatsu & Ultraman)

1. Born Without a Father And Mother’s Love

Eiji was born on July 7, 1901, in Sukagawa, Japan. He was the first child in his family. Unfortunately, his mother passed away when he was only 3 years old. His father later moved to China for work. As a result, Eiji and his siblings were raised by their uncle and grandmother.

Getting To Know Eiji Tsuburaya (The Father Of Tokusatsu & Ultraman)

2. His Dream Failed

Eiji had a great passion for model airplanes, which led him to enroll in the Nippon Flying School. Unfortunately, the school was shut down, so he decided to continue his studies at Tokyo Denki University. To support his education, he took a part-time job at a toy company.

Getting To Know Eiji Tsuburaya (The Father Of Tokusatsu & Ultraman)

3. The Beginning Of His Film Career

One day, a figure from the film industry visited the toy company where Eiji worked. He noticed how well Eiji arranged the toys and believed he had potential in handling film props. As a result, he offered Eiji a job as an assistant cameraman, and Eiji accepted the offer.

Getting To Know Eiji Tsuburaya (The Father Of Tokusatsu & Ultraman)

4. His Career Flourished In Tokusatsu Films

Thanks to his outstanding work in the film industry, Eiji was appointed Head of Visual Effects at Toho Studios in 1939. In 1954, together with director Ishiro Honda and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, he created the now-legendary film Godzilla. The film became a massive success and gained immense popularity due to the Tokusatsu techniques developed by Eiji.

Getting To Know Eiji Tsuburaya (The Father Of Tokusatsu & Ultraman)

5. Founding His Own Film Production Company

At the height of his successful career at Toho, Eiji decided to establish his own production company, which he named Tsuburaya Productions in 1963. The first notable work from his company was Ultra Q, a TV series about kaiju and aliens released in 1966. A few months later, Eiji created a giant superhero TV series that we now know as Ultraman.

Getting To Know Eiji Tsuburaya (The Father Of Tokusatsu & Ultraman)

6. Ultraman As A legendary Tokusatsu Series

Ultraman, as a creation of Eiji Tsuburaya, became a massive success. It was not only famous in Japan but also gained popularity in many countries around the world. Thanks to the success of Ultraman, Eiji decided to create a similar TV series titled Ultraseven. The popularity of Ultraseven was just as impressive as that of Ultraman.

Getting To Know Eiji Tsuburaya (The Father Of Tokusatsu & Ultraman)

7. Passed Away And Forever Remembered In Japan

Eiji passed away on January 25, 1970, due to angina pectoris, a heart-related condition. Eiji Tsuburaya is remembered as the Father of Tokusatsu for his contributions to the Japanese film industry. His creation, Ultraman, remains popular around the world to this day, among both children and adults.

Getting To Know Eiji Tsuburaya (The Father Of Tokusatsu & Ultraman)