was a Japanese

special effects Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wor ...

art director who worked on 38 films in a career spanning 25 years.

Career

On April 1, 1929, Watanabe graduating from art school, and joined

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not all ...

as an assistant director, then transferred to

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

in 1941 upon the recommendation of

Eiji Tsuburaya was a Japanese special effects director and cinematographer. Known as the he worked on 250 feature films in a career spanning 50 years. He is regarded as one of the co-creators of the ''Godzilla'' series, as well as the main creator of the ' ...

, working on his first film with the company the following year. He left Toho in 1966 after serving as Tsuburaya's art director on ''

Invasion of Astro-Monster is a 1965 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the sixth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise and Shōwa period. The film was a Japanese-American co-production; it was the second collaboration b ...

''. With Japanese Special Effects Productions, which was later called Japanese Special Effects Film Co., Ltd., he directed special effects on '' Gappa: The Triphibian Monster'',

Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally ...

's sole Showa ''kaiju'' film, and the Japanese-American co-production ''

The Green Slime is a 1968 tokusatsu science fiction film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and produced by Walter Manley and Ivan Reiner. It was written by William Finger, Tom Rowe and Charles Sinclair from a story by Reiner. The film was shot in Japan with a Japane ...

''.

Partial filmography

Special effects art director

* ''

The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya is a 1942 black-and-white Japanese war film directed by Kajiro Yamamoto, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Plot Production ''Hawai Mare oki kaisen'' was the most costly film made in Japan up to that time, costing over , when a typical ...

'' (1942) * ''

Lady from Hell is a 1949 Japanese Action film, action drama film directed by Motoyoshi Oda and co-written by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film has been called a "protest movie" which "portrayed a cornucopia of corruption and indi ...

'' (1949) *'' Nangoku no hada'' (1952) * ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produc ...

'' (1954) * ''

Godzilla Raids Again is a 1955 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Motoyoshi Oda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the second film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. The film stars Hiroshi Koizumi, Setsuko Waka ...

'' (1955) *''

Half Human is a 1955 Japanese science fiction horror film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akemi Negishi, Sachio Sakai, and Nobuo Nakamura, with Sanshiro Sagara as the Abomi ...

'' (1955) * '' The Legend of the White Serpent'' (1956) * ''

Rodan is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film ''Rodan'', produced and distributed by Toho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numerous ent ...

'' (1956) * ''

The Mysterians is a 1957 Japanese tokusatsu science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film begins with a giant fissure destroying an entire village. This leads to an investigation whereby the source is discov ...

'' (1957) * ''

The H-Man is a Japanese science fiction thriller film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects directed by Eiji Tsuburaya. Plot On a rainy night in the outskirts of Tokyo, a drug smuggler, Misaki, is killed while trying to escape in a getaway ca ...

'' (1958) * ''

Varan the Unbelievable is a 1958 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it stars Kōzō Nomura, Ayumi Sonoda, and Koreya Senda, with Haruo Nakajima as Varan. In the film, ...

'' (1958) * ''

Monkey Sun is a 1959 Japanese tokusatsu Fantasy film, fantasy action film directed by Kajirō Yamamoto, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was based on ''Journey to the West'' written by Wu Cheng'en and was the second adaptation of the novel ...

'' (1959) * ''

The Three Treasures is a 1959 Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. The film is based on the legends ''Kojiki'' and '' Nihon Shoki'' and the origins of ''Shinto''. The film was the highest-grossing film of 1959 for Toho and the second highest grossing domestic ...

'' (1959) * ''

Battle in Outer Space is a 1959 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Plot In 1965, a series of mysterious and devastating incidents are happening on Earth. These incidents range from a railroad bridge levita ...

'' (1959) * ''

The Secret of the Telegian () is a 1960 tokusatsu science fiction- horror and mystery film. Produced by Toho Company, Ltd., the film was directed by Jun Fukuda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Herts-Lion International Corp. acquired the western hemisphere rig ...

'' (1960) * ''

The Human Vapor is a 1960 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film is the story of a librarian (Yoshio Tsuchiya), his love for a dancer and his ability to change into a gaseous form. Plot Whil ...

'' (1960) * ''

The Story of Osaka Castle is a 1961 Japanese drama film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film is based on historical events taking place in Japan during the beginning of the 17th century. Plot The plot is set about a decade aft ...

'' (1961) * ''

Mothra is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that first appeared in the 1961 film '' Mothra'', produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''tokusatsu'' films, most often as a recurring character in the ''Godzilla'' ...

'' (1961) * '' The Last War'' (1961) * ''

Gorath is a 1962 Japanese epic science fiction disaster film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Based on an idea by Jojiro Okami, the film is about mankind's efforts to move Earth out of its orbit to prevent it from ...

'' (1962) * ''

King Kong vs. Godzilla is a 1962 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it is the third film in both the ''Godzilla'' and ''King Kong'' franchises, as well as the first T ...

'' (1962) * ''

Matango is a 1963 Japanese horror film directed by Ishirō Honda. The film stars Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno and Kenji Sahara. It is partially based on William Hope Hodgson's short story "The Voice in the Night" and is about a group of castaways on an isl ...

'' (1963) * ''

Atragon is a 1963 Japanese tokusatsu science fiction film produced and distributed by Toho. It is based on ''The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure'' by Shunrō Oshikawa and ''The Undersea Kingdom'' by Shigeru Komatsuzaki. The film i ...

'' (1963) * ''

Mothra vs. Godzilla is a 1964 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Co., Ltd., it is the fourth film in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise. The film stars Ak ...

'' (1964) * ''

Dogora is a 1964 Japanese Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Studios, the film stars Yosuke Natsuki, Nobuo Nakamura, Hiroshi Koizumi, and Akiko Wakabayashi, a ...

'' (1964) * ''

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is a 1964 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the fifth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and was the second ''Godzilla'' film produced ...

'' (1964) * ''

Frankenstein vs. Baragon is a 1965 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film stars Nick Adams (actor, born 1931), Nick Adams, Kumi Mizuno and Tadao Takashima, with Koji Furuhata as Frankenstein's monster, Frankenstein and H ...

'' (1965) * ''

Crazy Adventure is a 1965 Japanese comedy action film directed by Kengo Furusawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the fifth film in the '' Crazy Cats'' film series produced from 1963 to 1971 and was produced to commemorate the 10th anniversary o ...

'' (1965) * ''

Ultra Q is a tokusatsu science fiction kaiju series made in the tradition of Toho's many tokusatsu sci-fi/horror films. Produced in black and white by Tsuburaya Productions, this is actually the first of the long-running Ultra Series, and was broadcast ...

'' (1966)

Special effects director

* '' Gappa: The Triphibian Monster'' (1967) * ''The Green Slime'' (1968)

Miscellaneous

* ''

'' (1964) - Special effects cameraman * '' Gappa: The Triphibian Monster'' (1967) - Story

References

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabe, Akira 20th-century apocalypticists 1908 births 1999 deaths Japanese science fiction writers People from Fukui Prefecture Science fiction fans Special effects people Godzilla (franchise)