was a Japanese film producer, best known as the creator of Godzilla. He produced most of the installments in the Godzilla 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 and six of Akira Kurosawa's films, notably Yojimbo and Kagemusha.

Biography Early life Tanaka was born on April 26, 1910, in Kashiwara, Osaka. As a child, he would often walk miles to the nearest theater to watch silent adventure and ninja films in the afternoons. 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. In his youth, Tanaka was once disowned by his parents because he focused more on his interests, films and acting, than on his studies. Tanaka studied economics at Kansai University, graduating in 1940.

Career

Tanaka entered the Japanese film industry in 1940, joining 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 . After four years with the company, he began producing his own films, and one of his first efforts, , was released in 1945.

Tanaka left Toho in 1947 during the Toho strikes; he would return to the company in 1952.

In 1954 Tanaka started on production of the war movie , to be directed by Senkichi Taniguchi, co-produced with the Indonesian studio Perfini, and filmed in Jakarta. The project was cancelled when the Indonesian government refused to grant visas to the Japanese filmmakers. On the flight back to Japan from Jakarta, Tanaka wrote the outline for a new film. Inspired by King Kong, which had been re-released in Japan in 1952, as well as by The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and the recent Daigo Fukuryū Maru incident, Tanaka wrote a daikaiju film, working title . Tanaka pitched the project to Iwao Mori, who approved, and work began on Godzilla.

Tanaka selected Ishirō Honda to direct Godzilla; the two had recently collaborated on Farewell Rabaul and Senkichi Taniguchi, Tanaka's first choice, had refused the job. , a prominent detective and science fiction author, provided the treatment for Godzilla at Tanaka's request, Tanaka being a fan of Kayama's. Tanaka had worked with special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya on several earlier films; Tsuburaya was attached to Godzilla from the beginning, as his determination of the feasibility of the project was a condition for its approval.

Godzilla 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.

Akira Kurosawa started the Kurosawa Production Company in 1959, with Toho holding a majority stake, and closed it in 1966; during this period, Tanaka would produce all five films directed by Kurosawa: The Bad Sleep Well, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, High and Low, and Red Beard. Tanaka would later reunite with Kurosawa to produce Kagemusha (1980), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Toho entered into a similar arrangement with actor Toshiro Mifune and Mifune Productions in 1962, with Tanaka assisting in the operation of the company. Tanaka produced several successful films with Mifune Productions, including Legacy of the 500,000, Samurai Assassin, and .

In 1971 Tanaka became President of the newly formed , a Toho subsidiary that would create special effects for the parent company. In 1975 he became President and CEO of Toho Pictures. In 1978 Toho Eizo merged with Tokyo Eiga, a Toho affiliate; Tanaka would step down as President and become Chairman of the merged company. In 1988 Toho Eizo merged with Toho Bijutsu, another Toho subsidiary, to form Toho Eizo Bijutsu; Tanaka would step down as Chairman of Toho Eizo. In 1989 Tanaka became Chairman and CEO of Toho Pictures. In 1995 Tanaka retired from his official duties and became an advisor to Toho Pictures.

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

Tanaka oversaw the production of Mitsubishi's pavilion at several expos, including the Osaka Expo, Expo '75 in Okinawa, and Expo '85 in Tsukuba.

Personal life In 1950, Tanaka married 23-year-old actress Chieko Nakakita, with whom he later had three sons and adopted a daughter named Mieko.

Godzilla Tanaka is best known as the creator, with author , director Ishirō Honda, screenwriter , and special effects director 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 and the recent Daigo Fukuryū Maru incident. In an interview in 1991, Tanaka summed up the symbolism of Godzilla:

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.

Filmography

As producer YearTitleNotesRef(s)1944With Sanezumi Fujimoto and Sōjirō Motoki; uncredited194519461947With Keiji Matsuzaki 19481949With Keiji MatsuzakiSenta Was Cut1950With Sōjirō MotokiThe Gate of Tokyo1951A White OrchidWho is to Judge Me?Hakamadare YasusukeCliff of DeathEquatorial Festival1952FoghornMy Son's BrideSword for HireThe Lady from ShanghaiA Swift CurrentThe Man Who Came to Port1953My Wonderful Yellow CarEmbraceYasugorō SucceedsMother and DaughterAdolescence Part II1954Farewell RabaulItsuko and Her MotherForever Be MineGodzilla1955Godzilla Raids AgainOen-sanLovetideLove Never FailsHalf Human1956The Legend of the White SerpentBarefoot YouthRodan1957UntamedThe Last EscapeThe MysteriansYagyu Secret Scrolls1958The H-ManVaran the UnbelievableRickshaw Man1959The Three Treasureswith Sanezumi FujimotoBattle in Outer SpaceLife of an Expert Swordsman1960The Secret of the TelegianThe Human VaporThe Bad Sleep WellThe Last Gunfight1961YojimboMothraThe Story of Osaka CastleThe Merciless Trap1962SanjuroGorathKing Kong vs. GodzillaChūshingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki1963AtragonHigh and LowWarring ClansMatangoLegacy of the 500,000The Lost World of Sinbad1964Mothra vs. GodzillaGhidorah, the Three-Headed MonsterDogoraWhirlwind1965Frankenstein vs. BaragonInvasion of Astro-MonsterRed BeardSamurai AssassinIronfingerKey of Keys1966The War of the Gargantuaswith Kenichiro TsunodaEbirah, Horror of the Deep1967King Kong EscapesSon of GodzillaSamurai RebellionJapan's Longest Day1968Destroy All MonstersKill!Admiral YamamotoJudge and Jeopardy1969All Monsters AttackSamurai BannersBattle of the Japan SeaPortrait of Hell1970Space AmoebaThe Vampire Doll1971Godzilla vs. Hedorah1972Godzilla vs. Gigan1973Godzilla vs. MegalonSubmersion of Japanwith Osamu Tanaka1974Godzilla vs. MechagodzillaProphecies of NostradamusESPYwith Fumio Tanaka1975Terror of Mechagodzilla1976Zero Pilot1976House1980Kagemusha1981Imperial Navy1984The Return of Godzilla1987Princess from the Moon1989GunhedGodzilla vs. Biollantewith Shōgo Tomiyama1994Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzillawith Shōgo Tomiyama1995Godzilla vs. Destoroyahwith Shōgo Tomiyama

Notes

References

Bibliography

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