About Sukagawa Tokusatsu Archives Center

Sukagawa Tokusatsu Archives Center opened on November 3, 2020 (Culture Day) as the cornerstone of the city’s project, “Building a Tokusatsu Culture Base City.”

Live-action film makers use Tokusatsu (Japanese special effects) to produce amazing works. Sukagawa native Director Eiji Tsuburaya, known as the “God of Tokusatsu,” laid its foundation. Unfortunately, irreplaceable materials such as Tokusatsu miniature models have been destroyed or lost, and fewer people today are aware of Tokusatsu techniques.

To address these concerns, Sukagawa City has started an initiative to store Tokusatsu materials in a suitable environment, in cooperation with the Anime Tokusatsu Archive Centre (ATAC), a non-profit organization.

The Center plays a vital role in passing on Tokusatsu technology to future generations. We collect, preserve, restore and conduct research on valuable materials related to Tokusatsu. We also promote and honor Tokusatsu culture. Our visitors can take full advantage of the Center and view our selective collection from film shoots.

Hideaki Anno 庵野秀明

Director / Producer
Chief Director of ATAC

It has been 11 years since I first thought of creating the Tokusatsu archives in September 2009.
It has been eight years since “Museum Director Hideaki Anno’s Tokusatsu Special Effects Museum” was held in July 2012, which I launched to show my respect and gratitude for Tokusatsu works.
It has been five years since Sukagawa City expressed its support for the project in February 2015, to prepare for the establishment of a Tokusatsu archive center.
It has been three years since Anime Tokusatsu Archive Centre (ATAC), a non-profit organization, was formed in June 2017.

The Sukagawa Tokusatsu Archives Center opened in November 2020.

Thanks to the efforts of Sukagawa City, our long-standing wishes have finally come true. We can now take the first step towards the permanent preservation of Tokusatsu materials and educational activities. With the support of Sukagawa City and Tokusatsu fans, I would like to continue to take a few more steps into the future.
Thank you.

Katsuro Onoue 尾上克郎

VFX Director / VFX Supervisor
ATAC

One day, I learned of the reality that “Tokusatsu may vanish.” I cannot forget what Hideaki Anno uttered at that time. “Can’t we convey the Tokusatsu culture to the coming generations, even if we challenge social trends?” Conveying this culture to the next generation is our mission, for those of us who make our living in Tokusatsu. Our efforts are also a form of gratitude to Director Eiji Tsuburaya and the other pioneers of the field. Sukagawa City reached out to us to support our project. I felt that the birthplace of Director Tsuburaya was the most suitable place to base our project. With the help of many parties, including Fukushima Prefecture and Mori Building, a long-term team tag was formed with Sukagawa City, and the dream of building a facility for the coming generations, as a permanent treasure house of Tokusatsu materials—the “Shosoin of Tokusatsu”—became reality. However, the road to our dream is still halfway complete, and much work remains. I want to change my thinking, and view our project’s first step as the starting line of our dream. Without the understanding of the people of Sukagawa, it would have been hard to convey this treasure to our people. I sincerely hope this place will be cherished and protected. I also ask all the Tokusatsu supporters to continuously contribute to our activities in the coming years.

Yuji Nishimura 西村佑次

President, M-Ichigo Co., Ltd.
ATAC

I never thought a facility like this would be built in my hometown, at a place only about 30 minutes away from my home…
We now have the Tsuburaya Eiji Museum in Sukagawa City, and there are many Kaiju around here!
…and the Tokusatsu Archives Center. A place that seems like a dream is right here.
Skilled designers and sculptors use their talents and efforts to produce special effects props. Sadly, I have often witnessed the objects being thrown away or destroyed after the film shoot because there is no space to store them. I picked up and kept various items that were being discarded. I have tried my best to collect as many of them as I could. No matter how broken they are, the pieces used in film shoots are mementos of the films and have value. They will finally be repaired and preserved. They will now be presented directly to you, not through a film. This is like a dream. I am just grateful for the creation of such space, and I deeply thank the people who made this happen. I am very happy to have contributed to the opening of the facility.

Tomoo Haraguchi 原口智生

Lecturer, Graduate School of Film and New Media,
Tokyo University of the Arts
ATAC Master of Restoration

In 1966, the series “Ultraman” appeared on TV. At the age of six, I was captivated by the excitement and fascination of Tokusatsu. Fortunately, with the help of my relatives, I was able to frequently visit the locations where Tokusatsu works were created. Surprisingly, I was lucky to be able  to take home some pieces of miniature models and sculptures that were being discarded, after they had finished their roles in the film shoots. These Tokusatsu pieces contained traces of the creators’ imagination, ingenuity, and secrets. They must be handed down to coming generations! Here in Sukagawa, people who love Tokusatsu brought to life, a facility to be a treasure house, the “Shosoin of Tokusatsu,” for future generations to permanently preserve such materials; these people include the late Hiroshi Takeuchi, who promoted research on Japanese Tokusatsu, as well as Yuji Nishimura, who lives in Fukushima Prefecture and is diligently working on collecting valuable and rare Tokusatsu materials. I rejoice in the fact that preserving the history of Japanese Tokusatsu and the creation of new “Tokusatsu” have begun in the birthplace of Director Eiji Tsuburaya.

Ryusuke Hikawa 氷川竜介

Professor, Meiji University Graduate School
Director of ATAC

I give lectures on “The History and Technology of Tokusatsu” to university and graduate students at Meiji University. Unlike specialized training schools, I teach students about the history and techniques of Tokusatsu while entwining the cultural and artistic aspects of history. I teach about the mindsets behind the reversal of reality called trick photography, and also what Special Effects Director Eiji Tsuburaya conveyed — the “idea that makes imagination a reality” and the “indomitable craftsmanship.” These are essential values for our younger generations. For research, I emphasize the importance of “primary materials.” Miniature models and Tokusatsu materials used to be considered industrial waste. But now that Tokusatsu is recognized as a culture which transcends to future generations, we need to work on preserving such academic materials soon. To this effect, the important cultural assets of Tokusatsu are preserved in Director Eiji Tsuburaya’s hometown, and I am pleased that they are accessible to the public. Watching Tokusatsu films is fun, and creating or studying them is even more enjoyable. I hope the Tokusatsu Archives Center will become a place for such developments.

Shinji Higuchi 樋口真嗣

Special Effects Director
Director of ATAC

TV programs and films excited me when I was a kid.
Magazine and newspaper articles showing how those works were made surprised me.
They made me even more excited than actually watching the movies.
The story, the moving images – they were made by someone.
With amazing ideas,
With unimaginable technology,
Taking a daunting amount of time,
Someone was making them.
They were captured by a camera and turned into a single film, which became movies and TV programs.
The items were made just for the motion works, and their roles would eventually end.

We collected each of the pieces that remained.
Some are small and some are large.
We rescued things that lost their homes and were about to be thrown away.
We put broken pieces back together and fixed them.  

And now, an archive facility has been made in the birthplace of our mentor – the pioneer of Tokusatsu.

You won’t see these pieces as dreams full of surprise unless you create Tokusatsu as your job.  Perhaps, even if your job is related to Tokusatsu, you might not see them. 
So I hope the archives will forever be a place where the value of such pieces can be preserved and passed on to the coming generations.

Toshio Miike 三池敏夫

Special Effects Designer
ATAC

Related images

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History: Sukagawa City Tokusatsu Culture Promotion Project

2013

August 4, 2013

We held a talk session “Tokusatsu Juku @ Fukushima – Let’s talk about Tokusatsu, for the future.” (Sponsor: The Agency for Cultural Affairs;  Co-sponsors: Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture)

• Venue
  21st Century Construction Building, Fukushima Airport Park 
• Speakers
  • Hideaki Anno
  • Shinji Higuchi
  • Katsuro Onoue
  • Tomoo Haraguchi
  • Toshio Miike
• Guest Speaker
  Shinichiro Inoue (KADOKAWA CORPORATION)

2015

April 2015

We started working with Tokusatsu experts on archiving Tokusatsu-related materials.

July 2015

We started archiving Tokusatsu-related materials utilizing idle public facilities.

2016

With the support of the Support Program for the Promotion on Archiving Media Arts, the “Battleship Mikasa” was inspected and restored under the Japan Tokusatsu Archive Project (Coordinator: Mori Building Co., Ltd.) ( – through 2018).

2017

December 2, 2017

We held our “Tokusatsu Workshop,” a Sukagawa Tokusatsu Archives Center Opening Preparation Project, for elementary and junior high school students.

• Venue
  Iwase Noson Kankyo Kaizen Center
• Instructor
  Toshio Miike

2018

May 12, 2018

We held a guest talk featuring Tokusatsu specialists at the 30th Sukagawa International Short Film Festival.

• Speakers
  • Hideaki Anno
  • Shinji Higuchi
  • Katsuro Onoue
  • Kan Miyoshi

We held our “Tokusatsu Workshop,” a Sukagawa Tokusatsu Archives Center Opening Preparation Project, for visitors at the 30th Sukagawa International Short Film Festival.

• Venue
  Sukagawa City Cultural Center
• Instructor
  Toshio Miike

September 5, 2018

We held our “Tokusatsu Workshop,” a Sukagawa Tokusatsu Archives Center Opening Preparation Project, for educators. 

• Venue
  Sukagawa City Cultural Center
• Instructor
  Toshio Miike

November 3, 2018

The Tokusatsu Culture Promotion Project Executive Committee was established.

• Members
  • Fukushima Prefecture
  • Sukagawa City
  • Non-Profit Organization Anime Tokusatsu Archive Centre
  • the International Art & Design College at FSG College League
  • Sukagawa Chamber of Commerce

We held a symposium, “The Fascination of Mechanical Special Effects/Tokusatsu—The Technology and Soul of the Creators” as a commemorative event for the formation of the Tokusatsu Culture Promotion Project Executive Committee.

• Venue
  Sukagawa City Hall, 4th floor
• Speakers
  • Hideaki Anno
  • Shinji Higuchi
  • Katsuro Onoue
  • Tomoo Haraguchi
  • Toshio Miike
• Host
  Kan Miyoshi

December 22, 2018

We held “Tokusatsu Workshop,” a Sukagawa Tokusatsu Archives Center Opening Preparation Project, for elementary school students in Sukagawa City.

• Venue
  Sukagawa City Cultural Center
• Instructor
  Toshio Miike

2019

January 11, 2019

The Tsuburaya Eiji Museum opened in “tette,” Sukagawa Community Center.

February 2, 2019

July 7 was officially registered as “Tokusatsu Day” (Tokusatsu Culture Promotion Project Executive Committee).

Tokusatsu Culture Day (Day 1) (Sponsor: Tokusatsu Culture Promotion Project Executive Committee)
“Godzilla” (1954) screening, talk show

• Venue
  “tette,” Sukagawa Community Center
• Speakers
  Katsuro Onoue

February 3, 2019

Tokusatsu Culture Day (Day 2) (Sponsor: Tokusatsu Culture Promotion Project Executive Committee)
“Gamera: Guardian of the Universe” (1995) screening, talk show

• Venue
  “tette,” Sukagawa Community Center
• Speakers
  Shinji Higuchi

February 7, 2019

We held a Tokusatsu Day event (Sponsor: Tokusatsu Culture Promotion Project Executive Committee).
“NHK Taiga Drama ‘Idaten: The Epic Marathon to Tokyo’ Special Talk”

• Venue
  “tette,” Sukagawa Community Center
• Speakers
  Katsuro Onoue, Takafumi Yuki (VFX Producer)

September 14&15, 2019

We held our Tokusatsu workshop “Let’s Make Clouds with Cotton” for the host city’s elementary school children (Sponsor: Tokusatsu Culture Promotion Project Executive Committee).

• Venue
  • Inawashiro Cultural Center “Manabiina” Hall (Sept. 14)
  • Koriyama City Culture Park Culture Center Exhibition Room (Sept. 15)
• Instructor
  Toshio Miike

With the support of the Support Program for the Promotion on Archiving Media Arts, the “Japan Tokusatsu Archive” Project (Coordinator: Mori Building Co., Ltd.), began maintaining a collection list at the Sukagawa Tokusatsu Archives Center.

2020

November 3, 2020

Sukagawa Tokusatsu Archives Center opened.

We held an award ceremony for the contest to name our Center’s Kaiju mascot. Sukagawa City residents above elementary school age were eligible to submit name ideas.

With the support of the Support Program for the Promotion on Archiving Media Arts, the “Japan Tokusatsu Archive” Project group (Coordinator: Mori Building Co., Ltd.) began carrying out 3D scanning work of Tokusatsu materials.