was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big six film studios (which also included Daiei,

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, and Toho) during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Toho company following a bitter strike in 1947. To compete with the other major studios in the horror/supernatural movie field, Shintoho turned out a large group of such films between 1957 and 1960, including a number of period ghost movies and low-budget science fiction films (such as the ''Starman'' ('' Super Giant'') series which was designed to compete with rival then-popular characters '' Planet Prince'', '' Space Chief'' and '' Moonlight Mask''). Shintoho declared bankruptcy in 1961, its last production being '' Jigoku''.

Shintoho Starlet Program

Like the other major Japanese movie companies at that time, Shintoho was also recruiting so-called new faces under the name of "Shintoho Starlet". Recruitment started in 1951. However, due to the early bankruptcy of Shintoho, the materials have been scattered, and there are many unclear points in the information on successful applicants. One of the successful applicants was the future kickboxing sports-legend Tadashi Sawamura, who acted under pseudonym "Tetsuya Shiro".

Partial list of Shintoho's films

* ''Nozomi nakini arazu'' (1949) * ''Ikoku no oka'' (1949) * ''Nagarehoshi'' (1949) * ''Yu no machi ereji'' (1949) * ''Shin Tokyo ondo-Bikuri goningumi'' (1949) * '' Design of a Human Being'' * ''Shinya no kokuhaku'' (1949) * ''Guudo bai'' (1949) * ''Enoken - Okochi no Tabisugata ninki otoko'' * ''Zenigata Heiji torimonocho hikae-Heiji hapyakuyacho'' (1949) * '' Ginza kankan musume'' (1949) * ''Nabejima kaineko den'' (1949) * ''Otoko no namida'' (1949) * ''Daitokai no kao'' (1949) * ''Umon torimonocho-Nazo no hachiju hachiya'' (1949) * ''Tobisuke's Adventures'' (1949) * ''Hateshinaki jonetsu'' (1949) * ''Wasurerareta kora'' (1949) * ''Akireta museme tachi'' (1949) * '' Stray Dog'' (1949) * ''Enoken - Kasaoki no Gokuraku fufu'' (1949) * ''Ohara Shosuke-san'' (1949) * ''Damoi'' (1949) * ''Jinsei senshu'' (1949) * ''Rinchi'' (1949) * ''Kage wo shitaite'' (1949) * ''Enoken - Kasaoki no Osomehisamatsu'' (1949) * ''Shojoho'' (1950) * '' Aktsuki no daso'' (1950) (translation: ''Escape at Dawn'') * ''Tokyo Kachinka musume'' (1950) * ''Ishinaka sensei gyojyoki'' (1950) * ''Tsuma to onna kisha'' (1950) * ''Enoken no sokonuke daihoso'' (1950) * ''Umi no G-Men-Genkainada no musume'' (1950) * ''Muko sangen ryodonari-Koi no sanmoneko'' (1950) *'' Fearful Attack of the Flying Saucers'' (1956) * ''The Depths'' (1957) a.k.a. '' Kaidan Kasane-ga-fuchi'' (''Ghost Story of Kasane Swamp'') * ''Seven Mysteries'' (1957) a.k.a. ''Ghost Story of Wanderer at Honjo'' (''Kaidan Honjo Nanfushigi'') * ''Starman: Atomic Rulers of the World'' (1957) * ''Starman:

Invaders from Space ''Invaders from Space'' is a 1964 film edited together for American television from films #3 and #4 of the 1957 Japanese short film series '' Super Giant''. Plot The story involves the superhero Starman who is sent by the Emerald Planet to protec ...

'' (1957) * ''Starman:

Attack from Space ''Attack from Space'' is a 1965 science fiction compilation film produced for American television. It is the third film, following '' Atomic Rulers of the World'' (1 and 2) and '' Invaders from Space'' (3 and 4), to be comprised from the six inst ...

'' (1957) * ''Starman:

Evil Brain from Outer Space ''Evil Brain from Outer Space'' is a 1964 film edited together for American television from films #7, #8 and #9 of the 1957/1958 Japanese Super Giant film series. Synopsis The film concerns Starman's efforts to save the Earth from the follower ...

'' (1958-1959) * ''

Black Cat Mansion is a 1958 Japanese supernatural horror film directed by Nobuo Nakagawa for Shintoho. The film is presented in a nonlinear narrative, taking place in the characters' present and past (which are filmed in blue-tinted black-and-white), and in t ...

'' (1958) a.k.a. ''

Borei Kaibyo Yashiki is a 1958 Japanese supernatural horror film directed by Nobuo Nakagawa for Shintoho. The film is presented in a nonlinear narrative, taking place in the characters' present and past (which are filmed in blue-tinted black-and-white), and in t ...

'' * ''

Ghost of Chibusa Enoki , aka ''The Mother Tree'', is a 1958 black-and-white, full screen Japanese film directed by Goro Katano. The film, a good example of the Japanese horror genre, was not dubbed in English nor shown theatrically in the United States. Synopsis A ...

'' (1958) a.k.a. ''Kaidan chibusa enoki'', a.k.a. ''The Mother Tree'' * ''The Ghost of Yotsuya'' (1959) a.k.a. ''

Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan is a 1959 Japanese supernatural horror film directed by Nobuo Nakagawa. The film is based on the kabuki play '' Yotsuya Kaidan''. It was among the many horror films that Nakagawa adapted for Shintoho in the late 1950s and was one of the many a ...

'' * ''Woman Vampire'' (''Onna kyuketsuki'') (1959) a.k.a. ''Lady Vampire'' * ''Girl Diver of Spook Mansion'' (1959) a.k.a. ''The Haunted Cave'' * ''Blood Sword of the 99th Virgin'' (1959) * ''Ghost of Kagami-ga-fuchi'' (1959) a.k.a. ''Kaidan Kagami-ga-fuchi'' * ''Ghost of the Girl Diver'' (1960) a.k.a. ''Kaidan ama yurei'' * ''Ghost Cat of Otama Pond'' (1960) a.k.a. ''Kaibyo Otama-ga-Ike''Lee, Walter W. (1973). "Reference Guide to Fantastic Films". Chelsea-Lee Books. Page 238 * ''

Sennin Buraku is a manga series by Kō Kojima which ran in the adult magazine '' Weekly Asahi Geinō'', published by Tokuma Shoten in Japan. It is the longest running comic with only one artist, being published weekly since October 1956, and the longest ...

'' (1960) * '' Jigoku'' (1960) a.k.a. ''Sinners of Hell''; released as "adults only"

References

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External links