Tomoyuki Tanaka

Japanese film producer (1910–1997)

For the musician, see Fantastic Plastic Machine (musician).

Tomoyuki Tanaka

Tanaka on the set of Battle in Outer Space in 1959

Born| (1910-04-26)April 26, 1910

Kashiwara, Osaka, Empire of Japan[1]

Died| April 2, 1997(1997-04-02) (aged 86)

Tokyo, Japan[2]

Alma mater| Kansai University
Occupation| Film producer
Years active| 1940–1997
Spouse|

Chieko Nakakita

(m. 1950)​

Children| 4
Honours| Order of the Sacred Treasure (1981)[3]
Japanese name
Kanji| 田中 友幸
Hiragana| たなか ともゆき[1]
Romanization| Tanaka Tomoyuki
Signature

Tomoyuki "Yūkō" Tanaka[4] (Japanese: 田中 友幸（ともゆき）, Hepburn: Tanaka Tomoyuki, April 26, 1910 - April 2, 1997) was a Japanese film producer. Widely regarded as the creator of the Godzilla franchise, he produced most of the installments in the series, beginning in 1954 with Godzilla and ending in 1995 with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. He was one of the most prolific Japanese producers of all time, having worked on more than 200 films, including over 80 tokusatsu films.[5]

## Early life

[edit]

Tanaka was born on April 26, 1910,[3] in Kashiwara, Osaka.[1] As a child, he would often walk miles to the nearest theater to watch silent adventure and ninja films in the afternoons.[5] At the age of 14, Tanaka saw the silent Western film The Covered Wagon and was so enamored by its cinematography that it remained his all-time favorite film.[5] In his youth, Tanaka was once disowned by his parents because he focused more on his interests, films and acting, than on his studies.[5]

## Career

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2022)

|

Tanaka c. 1950s

Soon after graduating from Kansai University,[6] Tanaka entered the Japanese film industry in 1940 and joined the film studio Taiho Eiga. The following year, Tanaka moved to Toho after it merged with Taiho Eiga and began his career as a producer under Iwao Mori.[7] After four years with the company, he began producing his own films, and one of his first efforts, Three People of the North [ja], was released in 1945. In his 57-year career, Tanaka produced more than 200 films.[5]

He is best known as the creator, with storyteller Shigeru Kayama, director Ishirō Honda, writer Takeo Murata and special-effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya, of Godzilla, the towering embodiment of post-World War II anxiety. Tanaka created Godzilla in 1954 in an effort to illustrate the terror Japan felt after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In an interview in 1991, Tanaka summed up the symbolism of Godzilla:[8]

> Japanese people back then had a great fear of radiation, which is what gave Godzilla his enormous size. He has always stood for nature's retaliation against humanity.

The classic 1954 film Godzilla and in 1955 would spawn a series of sequels, adding up to 38 films as of March 29, 2024. Thirty-three movies have been produced by Toho, and five by the American studios TriStar Pictures and Legendary Pictures. He often worked with the other three members of the Godzilla team: Honda, Tsuburaya, and composer Akira Ifukube, to complete such works as The Mysterians (1957) and Matango (1963). he also creates manipulative aliens, causing problems for the Earth, for the purpose of political, according to the tendencies of his monster films. Tanaka also created the space-monster King Ghidorah and the innocent Minilla. He produced six films directed by the acclaimed Akira Kurosawa.[9] Their film Kagemusha (1980) was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar and took the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

He is credited for the "original story" in Godzilla 1985.[10]

## Personal life

[edit]

In 1950, Tanaka married 23-year-old actress Chieko Nakakita,[11] with whom he later had three sons[9] and adopted a daughter named Mieko.[12]

## Filmography

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2021)

|

### As producer

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Notes  | Ref(s)

|
|
|

1944  | Until the Day of Victory [ja][a] | With Sanezumi Fujimoto and Sōjirō Motoki;

uncredited

1945  | Legend of the Great Japanese Swordsman[b] |  | [13]
Three People of the North [ja][c] |  |
1946  | Cheerful Woman [ja][d] |  |
Those Who Make Tomorrow[e] |  |
As Long as I Live[f] |  | [14]
Eleven Schoolgirls[g] |  |
Declaration of Love[h] |  |
1947  | Four Love Stories [ja][i] | With Keiji Matsuzaki  |
24 Hours of a Secret Life[j] |  |
Snow Trail[k] |  | [13]
1948  | My Love on the Other Side of the Mountains [ja][l] |  | [13]
1949  | Lady from Hell[m] | With Keiji Matsuzaki  | [13][15]
Senta Was Cut |  |
Jakoman and Tetsu[n] |  | [13]
1950  | Escape at Dawn[o] |  | [13][16]
The Gold of the Devil[p] | With Sōjirō Motoki  | [17]
The Angry Street[q] |  |
White Beast[r] |  | [13]
Pursuit at Dawn [ja][s] |  | [18]
The Gate of Tokyo |  |
1951  | Beyond Love and Hate [ja] |  |
A White Orchid |  | [13][19]
Who is to Judge Me? |  | [20]
Hakamadare Yasusuke |  |
Cliff of Death |  | [21]
Equatorial Festival |  | [22]
1952  | Foghorn |  | [23]
My Son's Bride |  |
Sword for Hire |  | [13]
The Lady from Shanghai |  |
Adolescence [ja] |  |
A Swift Current |  |
The Man Who Came to Port |  |
1953  | My Wonderful Yellow Car |  | [13]
Embrace |  |
Yasugorō Succeeds |  |
Mother and Daughter |  |
Adolescence Part II |  |
Youth of Heiji Senigata [ja] |  |
Red-Light Bases [ja] |  |
1954  | Farewell Rabaul |  |
Itsuko and Her Mother |  |
Forever Be Mine |  |
The Surf [ja] |  | [24]
Godzilla |  |
1955  | Godzilla Raids Again |  |
Love Never Fails |  | [25]
Half Human |  | [13]
Asunaro monogatari [ja] |  | [26]
1956  | The Legend of the White Serpent |  | [27]
Barefoot Youth |  | [28]
Rodan |  |
1957  | Untamed |  |
The Last Escape |  | [29]
The Mysterians |  |
1958  | The H-Man |  | [13]
Varan the Unbelievable |  |
1959  | The Three Treasures | with Sanezumi Fujimoto | [13]
Battle in Outer Space |  |
1960  | The Secret of the Telegian |  | [13]
1961  | Yojimbo |  | [2]
Mothra |  | [30]
1962  | Gorath |  |
King Kong vs. Godzilla |  |
1963  | Atragon |  |
1964  | Mothra vs. Godzilla |  |
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster |  |
1965  | Frankenstein vs. Baragon |  |
Invasion of Astro-Monster |  |
1966  | The War of the Gargantuas | with Kenichiro Tsunoda  | [31]
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep |  |
1967  | King Kong Escapes |  |
Son of Godzilla |  |
1968  | Destroy All Monsters |  |
1969  | All Monsters Attack |  |
1970  | Space Amoeba |  |
1971  | Godzilla vs. Hedorah |  |
1972  | Godzilla vs. Gigan |  |
1973  | Godzilla vs. Megalon |  |
Submersion of Japan | with Osamu Tanaka  |
1974  | Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla |  |
ESPY | with Fumio Tanaka  |
1975  | Terror of Mechagodzilla |  |
1976  | Zero Pilot |  |
1984  | The Return of Godzilla |  |
1989  | Gunhed |  |
Godzilla vs. Biollante | with Shōgo Tomiyama |
1995  | Godzilla vs. Destoroyah | with Shōgo Tomiyama  |

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ 勝利の日まで, Shōri no Hi made
2. ^ 日本剣豪伝, Nihon kengō-den
3. ^ 北の三人, Kita no san-nin
4. ^ 陽気な女, Yōkina on'na
5. ^ 明日を創る人々, Asu o tsukuru hitobito
6. ^ 命ある限り, Inochi aru kagiri
7. ^ 十一人の女学生, Juichinin no jogakusei
8. ^ 愛の宣書, Ai no sen-sho
9. ^ 四つの恋の物語, Yottsu no koi no monogatari
10. ^ 地下街二十四時間, Chikagai nijuyojikan
11. ^ 銀嶺の果て, Ginrei no Hate
12. ^ わが愛は山の彼方に, Waga ai wa yama no kanata ni
13. ^ 地獄の貴婦人, Jigoku no kifujin
14. ^ ジャコ萬と鉄, Jakoman to Tetsu
15. ^ 暁の脱走, Akatsuki no dassō
16. ^ 魔の黄金, Ma no kogane
17. ^ 怒りの街, Ikari no machi lit. 'The City of Rage'
18. ^ 白い野獣, Shiroi Yajū
19. ^ 暁の追跡, Akatsuki no tsuiseki

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Tanaka 1983, pp. 52–53.
2. ^ a b Ryfle 1998, p. 40.
3. ^ a b Tanaka 1983, p. 538.
4. ^ Kawakita 2009, p. 220.
5. ^ a b c d e Ryfle 1998, p. 39.
6. ^ Kalat 2010, p. 16.
7. ^ Fukuda & Someya 2001, p. 26.
8. ^ Raftery, Brian M. (2000). "Forty-four years ago, Godzilla, King of the Monsters invaded the U.S". Entertainment Weekly. No. 537\. New York, N.Y.: Time, Inc. p. 116.
9. ^ a b WuDunn, Cheryl (4 April 1997). "Tomoyuki Tanaka, the Creator of Godzilla, Is Dead at 86". New York Times. New York, N.Y. Retrieved Oct 12, 2012.
10. ^ Canby, Vincent (1985-08-30). "THE SCREEN: 'GODZILLA 1985'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
11. ^ Nichigai Associates 1998, p. 881.
12. ^ "中北千枝子さん死去／女優". 四国新聞社. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "田中友幸". Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
14. ^ "命ある限り（1946） : 作品情報". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
15. ^ "地獄の貴婦人（1949): 作品情報". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved July 17, 2021.
16. ^ "暁の脱走". nfad.nfaj.go.jp. National Film Archive of Japan. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
17. ^ "魔の黄金 : 作品情報". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
18. ^ "曉の追跡". nfad.nfaj.go.jp. National Film Archive of Japan. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
19. ^ "熱砂の白蘭 : 作品情報". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
20. ^ "誰が私を裁くのか : 作品情報". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
21. ^ "死の断崖（1951） : 作品情報". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
22. ^ "赤道祭 : 作品情報". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
23. ^ "霧笛（1952） : 作品情報". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
24. ^ "潮騒". nfad.nfaj.go.jp. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
25. ^ "麥笛". nfad.nfaj.go.jp. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
26. ^ "あすなろ物語". nfad.nfaj.go.jp. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
27. ^ "白夫人の妖恋". nfad.nfaj.go.jp. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
28. ^ "裸足の青春". nfad.nfaj.go.jp. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
29. ^ "最後の脱走". nfad.nfaj.go.jp. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
30. ^ Galbraith IV 2008, p. 183.
31. ^ Galbraith IV 2008, p. 231.

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Fukuda, Jun; Someya, Katsuki (2001). 100 Out of 100 Toho Movies! Film Director Jun Fukuda (in Japanese). Wides Publishing. ISBN 978-4898300633.
* Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-1461673743.
* Kalat, David (2010). A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series (Second ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786447497.
* Kawakita, Kōichi (November 30, 2009). Heisei Godzilla Chronicle. Kinema Junpo. ISBN 978-4-87376-319-4.
* Nichigai Associates (1998). 現代日本人名録 98 [Directory of Contemporary Japanese People: 98] (in Japanese). Vol. 3\. Nichigai Associates. ISBN 978-4816914683.
* Ryfle, Steve (1998). Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G. ECW Press. ISBN 1550223488.
* Tanaka, Tomoyuki (1983). The Complete History of Toho Special Effects Movies (in Japanese). Toho Publishing Business Office. ISBN 4-924609-00-5.

## External links

[edit]

* Tomoyuki Tanaka on the official Toho website (archived)
* Tomoyuki Tanaka at the National Film Archive of Japan

Preceded by

Sanezumi Fujimoto

|  President of Toho Pictures
1975–1981  | Succeeded by

Yoshinobu Hayashi

|
|

* v
* t
* e

Godzilla

Films

| Japanese|

| Shōwa era|

* Godzilla (1954)
* Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
* King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
* Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
* Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
* Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
* Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
* Son of Godzilla (1967)
* Destroy All Monsters (1968)
* All Monsters Attack (1969)
* Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
* Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
* Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
* Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
* Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

|

Heisei era|

* The Return of Godzilla (1984)
* Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
* Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
* Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
* Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
* Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
* Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

Millennium era|

* Godzilla 2000 (1999)
* Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)
* Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
* Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)
* Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
* Final Wars (2004)

Reiwa era|

| Live-action|

* Shin Godzilla (2016)
* Godzilla Minus One (2023)

|

Animated|

* Planet of the Monsters (2017)
* City on the Edge of Battle (2018)
* The Planet Eater (2018)

American|

| Jewell Enterprises, Inc.|

* Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)

|

New World Pictures|

* Godzilla 1985 (1985)

TriStar Pictures|

* Godzilla (1998)

Legendary Pictures|

* Godzilla (2014)
* Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
* Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
* Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Television

| Japanese|

* Zone Fighter (1973)
* Godzilland (1992–1996)
* Godzilla Island (1997–1998)
* episodes
* Godzilla Singular Point (2021)
* Chibi Godzilla Raids Again (2023)

|

American|

* Godzilla (1978–1979)
* Godzilla: The Series (1998–2000)
* Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)

Music

| Soundtracks|

* "Godzilla (Main Theme)"
* Godzilla: The Album (1998)
* Final Wars
* Godzilla (2014)
* King of the Monsters
* Godzilla vs. Kong
* Godzilla Minus One
* Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

|

Related|

* "Godzilla" (Blue Öyster Cult)
* "Godzilla" (Eminem)

Miscellaneous

| Films|

* The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
* Bambi Meets Godzilla
* Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 3D
* Godzilla vs. Charles Barkley
* Monster Planet of Godzilla
* Always: Sunset on Third Street 2
* Ready Player One
* Shin Ultraman

|

Kaiju|

* Godzilla (Monsterverse incarnation)
* Anguirus
* Rodan
* Varan
* Mothra
* King Kong
* King Ghidorah
* Baragon
* Minilla
* Hedorah
* Gigan
* Megalon
* Mechagodzilla
* Biollante
* Godzilla Junior
* SpaceGodzilla
* Megaguirus
* Zilla
* MUTO

Other|

* Godzilla in popular culture
* -zilla
* Comics
* Video games
* The Movie Monster Game
* Battle Soccer: Field no Hasha
* Godzilla Game
* Godzilla (Ciencin novel series)
* Godzilla (Cerasini novel series)
* Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again
* G-Fest
* Rhedosaurus
* Jirahs
* Gotengo
* Miki Saegusa
* Super X
* Toho
* SciFi Japan TV
* Monsterverse
* King Kong franchise
* Hibiya Godzilla Square
* Shin Japan Heroes Universe
* Kamen Rider franchise
* Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise
* Ultraman franchise

* Category

Authority control databases

International|

* FAST
* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Norway
* Spain
* 2
* France
* BnF data
* Catalonia
* Israel
* United States
* Japan
* Australia
* Poland

People|

* Trove

Other|

* IdRef

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*[c.]: circa
*[lit.]: literal translation
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