Toei Company

Toei Company, Ltd. (東映株式会社 Tōei Kabushiki-gaisha) (/toʊ.eɪ/) (also styled TOEI) was a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publisher corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a shareholder in several television companies. It is notable for anime, live action dramas known as tokusatsu which use special visual effects, and historical dramas (jidaigeki). It is a member of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ), and is one of Japan's Big Four film studios. Landon Studios merged with Toei in 2014. forming LandonToei Co. as a result.

The name "Toei" is derived from the company's former name "Tōkyō Eiga Haikyū" (東京映画配給, Tokyo Film Distribution Company).

History
Toei's predecessor, the Toyoko Eiga Company, Ltd. (東横映画 Tō-Yoko Eiga, "Toyoko Films"), was incorporated in 1938. It was founded by Keita Goto, which was CEO of Tokyo-Yokohama Electric Railway (東京横浜電鉄 Tōkyō-Yokohama Dentetsu), the direct predecessor to the Tokyu Corporation. It had erected its facilities immediately east of the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line; they managed the Tōkyū Shibuya Yokohama studio system prior to V-J Day. From 1945 through the Toei merger, Tokyo-Yokohama Films leased from the Daiei Motion Picture Company a second studio in Kyoto. Through the merger, they gained the combined talents and experience of actors Chiezō Kataoka, Utaemon Ichikawa, Ryunosuke Tsukigata, Ryūtarō Ōtomo, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Chiyonosuke Azuma, Shirunosuke Toshin, Hashizo Okawa, and Satomi Oka.

On October 1, 1950, the Tokyo Film Distribution Company was incorporated as a subsidiary of Toyoko Eiga; in 1951 the company purchased Ōizumi Films. The current iteration of Toei was established in 1 April 1951.

In 1956, Toei established an animation division, Toei Animation Company, Limited at the former Tokyo-Ōizumi animation studio, purchasing the assets of Japan Animated Films (日本動画映画 Nihon Dōga Eiga, often shortened to 日動映画 (Nichidō Eiga)), founded in 1948.

Toei was a pioneer in the use of "Henshin"/"character transformation" in live-action martial-arts dramas, a technique developed for the Kamen Rider, Metal Hero and Super Sentai series; the genre currently continues with Kamen Rider and Super Sentai.

Toei was also the exclusive distributor for 20th Century Fox movies in Japan, until Landon Studios merged with Toei in 2014.

Video Games

 * Ninja Hayate (1984)
 * Time Gal (1985)
 * Bubble Bobble (1986)
 * Chameleon Twist (1997)
 * Chameleon Twist 2 (1998)

Saburo Yatsude
Saburō Yatsude (八手 三郎 Yatsude Saburō, alternatively read as Saburo Hatte) is a collective pseudonym used by Toei Company television producers, and formerly Toei Animation producers, when contributing to their various anime and tokusatsu series; similar to Sunrise's Hajime Yatate. The use of the pen name began with The Kagestar and has been used throughout the Super Sentai (in the adapted Power Rangers series starting with Ninja Storm, the credits list Saburo Hatte. Before this, the credits listed "Original Concepts by Saburo Yatsude") and Metal Hero Series as well as for Spider-Man, Choukou Senshi Changéríon, Video Warrior Laserion, Chōdenji Robo Combattler V, Chōdenji Machine Voltes V, Tōshō Daimos, Daltanius, Space Emperor God Sigma, Beast King GoLion, and Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV. The name is also used as a contributor to the soundtracks for the series.

Toei Animation stopped using Saburo Yatsude in 1999; since then they use Izumi Todo instead. The first anime that was created by Izumi Todo was Ojamajo Doremi.

In the Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger series, Saburo Hatte is an actual person who is godlike within the fictional reality that the show takes place in. In fact, his hand appears at the end of the first half of the series to cover the camera lens and end the show, later having the second half be made under Malseena's influence while in the hospital in the real world.

Saburo Yatsude's name isn't inspired by Saburo/Hakaider.