Sequart Organization » Eiji Tsuburaya

Eiji Tsuburaya’s Death and the Changing Face of Kaiju Films

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 13:00:49 +0000

On January 25th in 1970, the landscape of kaiju films changed forever. Eiji Tsuburaya had started work on a new television series by this point, a horror anthology show known as The Unbalance Zone. The… [more]

Where the Kaiju Things Are: All Monsters Attack

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 13:00:16 +0000

All Monsters Attack" title="Where the Kaiju Things Are: All Monsters Attack" style="float:left;" />After Destroy All Monsters, Toho took the Godzilla franchise in a controversial direction. The studio decided to throw their biggest director at their smallest film yet, birthing one of the least popular Godzilla movies ever.… [more]

Tsuburaya and Honda’s Last Charge: Destroy All Monsters

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 13:00:40 +0000

Destroy All Monsters" title="Tsuburaya and Honda’s Last Charge: Destroy All Monsters" style="float:left;" />There was another big number coming down Toho’s pipe shortly after they’d celebrated their anniversary. Their next kaiju film would be the twentieth they had directed, something worthy of celebration. However the celebration was to… [more]

Metal Monsters: Tsuburaya Returns to Kong

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 13:00:30 +0000

1967 was a big year for Toho. Not because of the introduction of Godzilla’s son, but because it was their thirty-fifth anniversary. Eiji Tsuburaya and Ishirō Honda reunited to work on their penultimate collaboration for… [more]

If I Cannot Inspire Love, I Will Cause Fear: More Frankesteins and Flying Turtles

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Tue, 05 May 2015 13:00:06 +0000

" The starry sky, the sea, and every sight afforded by these wonderful regions, seems still to have the power of elevating his soul from earth. Such a man has a double existence: he may suffer misery, and be overwhelmed by disappointments; yet, when he has retired into himself, he will be like a celestial spirit that has a halo around him, within whose circle no grief or folly ventures.” [more]

The Last Hurrah: Frankenstein, Baragon, and King Ghidorah

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 13:00:41 +0000

Good men, do not be afraid! You should all single-mindedly recite the name of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva. This Bodhisattva bestows fearlessness upon living beings. If you recite his name, you shall surely be saved from these robbers, and if upon hearing that, the merchants all cry out together, Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, then they will immediately be saved because they recited his name. [more]

A Voice Like a Bell: Godzilla as a Hero and the Arrival of King Ghidorah

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 13:00:01 +0000

It was not long before awful Yamatano-orochi came. Soon, it noticed the smell of sake and struck its eight heads into each gate. It drank up the sake and began to sleep with a incredibly loud snore. Susanoo-no-mikoto cut its necks and tails one by one with his sword..The water color of the Hi-no-kawa river turned to red with its blood. [more]

The Onslaught of the Mushrooms: Toho’s Serious and Silly Sixties

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 13:00:44 +0000

"I felt that I was now seeing plain, whereas ordinary vision gives us an imperfect view; I was seeing the archetypes, the Platonic ideas, that underlie the imperfect images of everyday life. The thought crossed my mind: could the divine mushrooms be the secret that lay behind the ancient Mysteries?" [more]

A Countless Number of Small Items: King Kong vs Godzilla and Akira Ifukube Pt. 2

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 13:00:07 +0000

I visited temples in Rehe and saw numerous Buddha statues embedded all over the wall. Even though each statue was humble, seeing all of them together on the wall impressed me greatly. [more]

A Countless Number of Small Items: King Kong vs Godzilla and Akira Ifukube

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 13:00:30 +0000

Be done with rote learning and its attendant vexations; for is there distinction of a “yes” from a “yea” comparable now to the gulf between evil and good? What all men fear, I too must fear... how barren and pointless a thought! [more]

Such Beautiful Miniatures: Yasuyuki Inoue and a New Age for Toho

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 13:00:01 +0000

Earth Defence Force is the start of an important transition in Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya’s techniques, a transition that wouldn’t reach its peak until a new decade arrived. The bright and colourful space film required Eiji Tsuburaya to focus more on optical effects then he had to date. [more]

The First Kaiju Fight: Godzilla Raids Again

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 11:00:29 +0000

Godzilla Raids Again" title="The First Kaiju Fight: Godzilla Raids Again" style="float:left;" />As Nakajima himself put it, “I had to stand in the middle of the set while a huge amount of crushed ice came tumbling down on me.” The weight of the ice, coupled with the weight of the GyakushuGoji suit, broke the platform Nakajima and a cable operator were situated on. [more]

Tsuburaya Does Colour: Rodan

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 11:00:03 +0000

Rodan" title="Tsuburaya Does Colour: Rodan" style="float:left;" />Rodan presented the special effects mastermind with a unique opportunity. Not only was Eiji Tsuburaya shooting in colour for only the second time but also he was allotted an unprecedented 60 percent of the film’s budget [more]