Toho Co., Ltd. is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer and distributor of many kaiju and tokusatsu films; the Chouseishin tokusatsu superhero television franchise; the films of Akira Kurosawa; and the anime films of Studio Ghibli, CoMix Wave Films, TMS Entertainment, and OLM, Inc. All nine of the highest-grossing Japanese films are released by Toho. Other famous directors, including Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Masaki Kobayashi, and Mikio Naruse, also directed films for Toho.
The Nikkatsu Corporation is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name Nikkatsu amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Motion Pictures".
Toei Company, Ltd. is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publishing company. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates 34 movie theaters across Japan, studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a shareholder in several television companies. It is notable for creating animated programming known as anime, and live action dramas known as tokusatsu which use special visual effects. It also creates historical dramas (jidaigeki). Outside Japan, it is known as the controlling shareholder of Toei Animation and the owner of the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai franchises.
Shintoho Co. Ltd. was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big six film studios during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Toho company following a bitter strike in 1947.
Gappa is a 1967 Japanese kaiju film directed by Haruyasu Noguchi. The film is about a group of Japanese reporters who discover an infant monster called a Gappa on Obelisk Island. The reporters cage the creature and take it to Japan where it becomes a media attraction. This angers the natives of the island and Gappa's full-grown parents, who head toward Japan to find their child. Its plot virtually duplicates that of the 1961 British film Gorgo.
Yotsuya Kaidan (四谷怪談), the story of Oiwa and Tamiya Iemon, is a tale of betrayal, murder and ghostly revenge. Arguably the most famous Japanese ghost story of all time, it has been adapted for film over 30 times and continues to be an influence on Japanese horror today. Written in 1825 by Tsuruya Nanboku IV as a kabuki play, the original title was Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan. It is now generally shortened, and loosely translates as Ghost Story of Yotsuya.
The X from Outer Space is a 1967 Japanese science fiction kaiju film that was directed by Kazui Nihonmatsu and stars Eiji Okada and Toshiya Wazaki.
Shinichi Sekizawa was a Japanese screenwriter noted for his immense contributions to several films by Ishirō Honda, including several classic Godzilla films. He also contributed material to the original Ultraman series and several Tōei Dōga films such as Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon and Jack and the Witch.
Ghost-Cat of Gojusan-Tsugi is a 1956 Japanese horror film directed by Bin Kado and produced by Daiei Film. It was filmed in black-and-white in the Academy ratio format.
Kaidan Kasane-ga-fuchi, also known as The Depths, or The Ghost of Kasane, is a 1957 black-and-white/ Scope Japanese horror film directed by Nobuo Nakagawa for Shintoho Films. The screenplay was based on a story called Shinkei Kasanegafuchi by Encho Sanyutei. The film was never dubbed in English and is only available in subtitled format. It was a short film, running 57 minutes.
Ghost of Saga Mansion is a 1953 Japanese horror film directed by Ryohei Arai. It was filmed in Black and White, academy ratio format. It was never dubbed in English, nor shown in the United States theatrically.
Arima neko (有馬猫), also known as Ghost Cat of Arima or Ghost Cat of Arima Palace, is a 1937 Japanese horror film directed by Shigeru Kito. The film was remade in 1953 by Daiei Film.
Ghost Stories of Wanderer at Honjo is a 1957 black-and-white, full screen Japanese film directed by Goro Katono. It is Japanese horror film (J-Horror) based on the story Seven Wonders of Honjo by Akira Sugawa. It was never dubbed in English, nor shown in the United States. The Japanese title translates as Ghost Story of the Seven Wonders of Honjo.
Saru no Gundan is a 1974 Japanese science fiction television series. Not connected to Pierre Boulle's Planet of the Apes, it was produced by Tsuburaya Productions, and shot on 16mm film in color. The series ran on Tokyo Broadcasting System from October 6, 1974, to March 30, 1975, lasting a total of 26 episodes.
The Living Skeleton is a 1968 Japanese tokusatsu horror film directed by Hiroshi Matsuno. The film's plot begins in the past where a gang of pirates commandeer a ship and kill everyone on board. Three years later in a seaside village, a Catholic priest has offered shelter to Saeko as her twin sister, Yoriko has disappeared with her new husband at sea. Saeko later scuba dives with her boyfriend, the couple find a group of submerged human skeletons, chained together at the ankles near the ocean floor. That night, a ghost ship appears in the mist offshore as a voice from the ship calls out for Saeko.
Kenji Misumi was a Japanese film director. He created film series such as Lone Wolf and Cub and the initial film in the long-running Zatoichi series, and also directed Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice, starring Shintaro Katsu. He died at age 54.
Iida Chōko was a Japanese actress. Her real name was Shigehara Tefu. She played working class women and grandmothers, and appeared in more than 300 films. Her husband was cameraman Shigehara Hideo.
