Toho Co., Ltd. (東宝株式会社), the Japanese film, theater, and entertainment company, is known worldwide for the circular emblem that opens its theatrical releases. The mark shows the kanji “東宝” arranged vertically inside a circle, with the company name “東宝株式会社” written horizontally in yellow below it in the film-opening sequence.[1] The emblem is placed at the center of a burst of light in the opening animation.[1]
Design and History
The Toho mark was designed and produced by Eiji Tsuburaya, the special-effects director known for his work on the Godzilla series and other Toho productions.[1] The opening logo was originally created using live-action and optical-composite techniques. From 1992, the year of Toho’s 60th anniversary, the opening animation was replaced with a computer-generated version.[1]
In 2010, Toho unified its 16:9 and CinemaScope opening logos, and the “東宝株式会社” lettering portion was renewed at that time.[1] The English-language version of the logo, used for North American releases, places “TOHO” inside the circle and changes the lower company name to “TOHO COMPANY, LTD.”[1]
The company name itself derives from “Tokyo-Takarazuka,” the original name of the organization founded in 1932. The two characters “東” (east) and “宝” (treasure) were taken from the full name, with the meaning “treasure of the eastern land” also attributed to the name.[2]
Meaning and Symbolism
In the circular emblem, the “東宝” characters are not centered within the ring but placed in the upper two-thirds of the circle.[2] The opening sequence presents the mark at the center of radiating light, an arrangement that has become familiar to audiences of Toho-distributed films.[1]
For TohoScope productions, the widescreen format Toho adopted in 1957, the mark appeared with the words “TOHO” and “SCOPE” placed on either side in yellow, three-dimensional gothic lettering.[1]
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