Hajime Tsuburaya | |
Native Name: | 円谷 一 |
Native Name Lang: | Japanese |
Birth Date: | April 28, 1931 |
Birth Place: | Tokyo, Japan |
Death Date: | February 9, 1973 (aged 41) |
Death Place: | Tokyo, Japan |
Occupation: | Director, screenwriter producer, cinematographer, lyricist, president of Tsuburaya Productions |
Years Active: | 1954–1973 |
Children: | 3, including Hiroshi |
Mother: | Masano Araki |
Father: | Eiji Tsuburaya |
Relatives: | Noboru and Akira (younger brothers) |
was a Japanese film and television director, producer, and cinematographer. The eldest son of Eiji Tsuburaya, he began his career on the 1954 film, Godzilla and its sequel, Godzilla Raids Again as an assistant special effects cinematographer.[1]
In 1959, Tsuburaya joined TBS Television as a production director.[2]
In 1970, Tsuburaya left TBS due to the death of his father and became president of Tsuburaya Productions. 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. This popularity led to the demand for full-scale special effects programs in 1971 when he produced Return of Ultraman and Mirrorman, bringing about a second giant boom.