Toho and Tsuburaya Productions

[東宝と円谷プロ]
[Toho and Tsuburaya Productions]

昭和38年4月12日に会社登記された円谷特技プロ(42年から円谷プロ)は、東宝から資本と出向役員を招いて設立された。その経緯もあって若手スタッフ中心に始まった製作体制は東宝を範とするものであった。当初は東宝から特撮美術の井上泰幸技師が派遣され、「ウルトラQ」の制作第9話から4本の特撮美術を請け負ったこともあり、東宝特美内で完成度高く作られていたゴジラなどの劇場用怪獣がTVシリーズの予算枠で改造される措置がとられ、以降東宝円谷プロのパイプに則ったゲストが空想特撮シリーズに登場した。

Tsuburaya Special Effects Productions (Tsuburaya Productions from 1942) was registered as a company on April 12, 1963, and was established with capital and seconded executives from Toho. Partly because of this background, the production system, which started with a focus on young staff, was modeled after Toho. Initially, special effects art engineer Yasuyuki Inoue was dispatched from Toho, and he was contracted to do the special effects art for 4 films starting from the 9th episode of “Ultra Q,” and Godzilla, etc., which had been made to a high degree of perfection within Toho’s special facilities. Measures were taken to modify the theatrical monsters in the TV series budget, and since then guests have appeared in fantasy special effects series based on the pipes of Toho Tsuburaya Productions.

Captions

▲ ラドン改造のリトラ(八岐大蛇の奥にいる)。右上はキングコング改造のゴローと、マグマ改造のトドラ。このように円谷プロ使用後は東宝に返却しているわけだ。

▲ Rodan modified Litra (behind the eight-pronged serpent). On the top right are Goro, a modified King Kong, and Todora, a modified Magma. In this way, after using Tsuburaya Pro, they return it to Toho.

▲ 特美倉庫に眠る、東宝一円谷プロ連合・怪獣。

▲ A monster from the Toho–Tsuburaya Production Alliance that sleeps in the Tokubi Warehouse.

Source: The Pictorial Book of Godzilla