A major Japanese entertainment company, founded on October 1, 1949 as Tokyo Eiga, distributing the films of Taisei Eiga (1947) and Toyoko Eiga (1938), who merged together with it on April 1, 1951 to become Toei Company, Ltd.
Originally known for jidaigeki and yakuza films, it would garner attention for its animated and live-action television content, the former handled by film and animation subsidiary Toei Animation (founded on January 23, 1943 and acquired in 1956), and the latter handled by Toei TV Production (founded on November 2, 1959), which is known today for its tokusatsu output.
