was a Japanese film and television director, producer, and cinematographer. The eldest son 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 ' ...

, he began his career on the 1954 film, ''

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 ...

'' and its sequel, ''

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 ...

'' as an assistant special effects cinematographer.

Early career

In 1959, Tsuburaya joined

TBS Television TBS may stand for: Entertainment * Taipei Broadcasting Station, a radio station in Taipei, Taiwan * Tokyo Broadcasting System, a stock holding company in Tokyo, Japan ** TBS Television (Japan), a television station ** TBS Radio, a radio stati ...

as a production director.

Tsuburaya Productions

In 1970, Tsuburaya left TBS due to the death of his father and became president of

Tsuburaya Productions is a Japanese special effects studio founded in 1963 by special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya and was run by his family, until October 2007, when the family sold the company to advertising agency TYO Inc. The studio is best known for producing t ...

. Having financial difficulties, the company was in a critical business situation. Declaring he couldn't serve as president and director at the same time, he became a producer. As a producer in 1970, he produced ''

Ultra Fight ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with '' Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is on ...

''. This popularity led to the demand for full-scale special effects programs in 1971 when he produced ''

Return of Ultraman is a List of Japanese television series, Japanese ''tokusatsu'' Science fiction on television, science fiction television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions. The fourth entry in the Ultra series, the series aired on Tokyo Broadcasting Syste ...

'' and ''

Mirrorman is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' science fiction television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the series aired on Fuji TV from December 5, 1971 to November 26, 1972, with a total of 51 episodes. This was Tsuburaya Productions' first non-Ultra ...

'', bringing about a second giant boom.

Partial filmography

Director

* '' Kemuri no Osama'' (1962) * ''

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 ...

'' (1965) * ''

Ultraman ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...

'' (1966) * ''Ultraman'' (1967) * ''

Ultra Seven is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' science fiction television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the third installment in the Ultra Series and was produced by Tsuburaya Productions. The series aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System from October 1, 19 ...

'' (1967) * '' Operation: Mystery!'' (1968)

Lyricist

* ''

'' (1971) - "Return of Ultraman" / "Kaiju Ondo" s Kyoichi Azuma* ''

'' (1971) - "Song of Mirrorman" / "Song of SGM" / "Fight! Mirrorman" s Kyoichi Azuma

Assistant director

* ''Cartero Carlos Fly to Japan'' (1963)

Special effects director

* ''

'' (1966)

Producer

* ''

'' (1970) * ''

'' (1971) *''

'' (1971) * '' Daigoro vs. Goliath'' (1972)

Assistant special effects cinematographer

* ''

'' (1954) ith variousref name=":1" /> * ''

'' (1955) ith variousref name=":1" />

Interviewee

*'' The Father of Ultra Q'' (1966)

References

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tsuburaya, Hajime 1931 births 1973 deaths Japanese film producers Japanese film directors Japanese television producers Tsuburaya Productions Ultra Series