Tomoyuki Tanaka
Tanaka on the set ofBattle 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, best known as the creator ofGodzilla. He produced most of the installments in theGodzilla series, beginning in 1954 withGodzilla and ending in 1995 withGodzilla vs. Destoroyah. He was one of the most prolific Japanese producers of all time, having worked on more than 200 films, including over 80tokusatsu films^[5] and six ofAkira Kurosawa's films, notablyYojimbo andKagemusha.

Tanaka was born on April 26, 1910,^[3] inKashiwara,Osaka.^[1] As a child, he would often walk miles to the nearest theater to watchsilent adventure and ninja films in the afternoons.^[5] At the age of 14, Tanaka saw the silent Western filmThe 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] Tanaka studied economics atKansai University, graduating in 1940.^[6]

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Tanaka entered the Japanese film industry in 1940, joining the film studio Taiho Eiga. The following year, Tanaka moved toToho after it merged with Taiho Eiga and began his career as a producer underIwao Mori [ja].^[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.

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

In 1954 Tanaka started on production of the war movieIn the Shadow of Glory (栄光のかげに,Eikō no Kage ni), to be directed bySenkichi Taniguchi, co-produced with the Indonesian studioPerfini, and filmed inJakarta. 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 byKing Kong, which had been re-released in Japan in 1952, as well as byThe Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and the recentDaigo Fukuryū Maru incident, Tanaka wrote adaikaiju film, working titleThe Giant Monster from 20,000 Miles Beneath the Sea (海底二万哩から来た大怪獣,Kaitei Niman Mairu kara kita Daikaijū). Tanaka pitched the project to Iwao Mori, who approved, and work began onGodzilla.

Tanaka selectedIshirō Honda to directGodzilla; the two had recently collaborated onFarewell Rabaul and Senkichi Taniguchi, Tanaka's first choice, had refused the job.Shigeru Kayama [ja], a prominent detective and science fiction author, provided thetreatment forGodzilla at Tanaka's request, Tanaka being a fan of Kayama's. Tanaka had worked with special effects directorEiji Tsuburaya on several earlier films; Tsuburaya was attached toGodzilla 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 studiosTriStar Pictures andLegendary Pictures. He often worked with the other three members of the Godzilla team: Honda, Tsuburaya, and composerAkira Ifukube, to complete such works asThe Mysterians (1957) andMatango (1963). he also creates manipulativealiens, causing problems for the Earth, for the purpose ofpolitical, according to the tendencies of his monster films. Tanaka also created the space-monsterKing Ghidorah and the innocentMinilla.

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, andRed Beard.^[8] Tanaka would later reunite with Kurosawa to produceKagemusha (1980), which was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and won thePalme d'Or atCannes.

Toho entered into a similar arrangement with actorToshiro Mifune and Mifune Productions in 1962, with Tanaka assisting in the operation of the company. Tanaka produced several successful films with Mifune Productions, includingLegacy of the 500,000,Samurai Assassin, andFort Graveyard [ja].

In 1971 Tanaka became President of the newly formedToho Eizo [ja], a Toho subsidiary that would createspecial effects for the parent company.In 1975 he became President and CEO ofToho Pictures.In 1978 Toho Eizo merged withTokyo 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" inGodzilla 1985.^[9]

Tanaka oversaw the production ofMitsubishi's pavilion at severalexpos, including theOsaka Expo,Expo '75 inOkinawa, andExpo '85 inTsukuba.

In 1950, Tanaka married 23-year-old actressChieko Nakakita,^[10] with whom he later had three sons^[8] and adopted a daughter named Mieko.^[11]

Tanaka is best known as the creator, with authorShigeru Kayama [ja], directorIshirō Honda, screenwriterTakeo Murata [ja], and special effects directorEiji Tsuburaya, ofGodzilla, the towering embodiment of post-World War II anxiety. Tanaka created Godzilla in 1954 in an effort to illustrate the terror Japan felt after theatomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the recentDaigo Fukuryū Maru incident. In an interview in 1991, Tanaka summed up the symbolism of Godzilla:^[12]

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.

This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(July 2021)

• 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.

• Tomoyuki Tanaka on the official Toho website (archived)
• Tomoyuki Tanaka at theNational Film Archive of Japan

• 1910 births
• 1997 deaths
• Japanese film producers
• People from Kashiwara, Osaka

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