Daiei Film

Background
Daiei Film Co., Ltd. was a Japanese film studio. Originally founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was originally a product of Japanese government efforts to reorganize the film industry during World War II. it was a major studio during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It went bankrupt in 1971; in 1974 it was bought by Tokuma Shoten; and in 2002 was sold to Kadokawa Shoten and renamed Kadokawa Daiei Motion Picture Co., Ltd., later Kadokawa Pictures.

(1942-194?)
Logo: We see a large emblem which consists of two circular outlines with a triangular cut on the bottom, as well as "映" on the top. Then, the company name zooms in from the center of the emblem, then the emblem fades out, leaving the company name.

FX/SFX: The fading.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the movie or none.

Availability: Found on early Daiei films.

Editor's note: This is the only logo not to include a Japanese wordmark.

1st Logo (194?-1961)


Logo: On a blank background, we see the Daiei logo: consists of two circular outlines with a triangular cut on the bottom, as well as "映" on the top. Below is "大映株式会社製作" (A Daiei Co., Ltd. Production).

Variants:


 * Background color may vary.
 * On DaieiScope films, the logo was in widescreen.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Uncommon, bordering on ultra rare. When Kadokawa has restored those old films through the facilities, such as Gate of Hell, Floating Weeds, Ugetsu, Sansho the Bailiff, Buddha, or Rashomon, it's currently harder to find on those films; Criterion DVD and Blu-ray and Kadokawa DVDs/Blu-ray prints are intact this logo on their bootlegs of Daiei productions. It's seen on early films from the company.

2nd Logo (1960s-2002?)
Nickname: "The Sun on the Sky"

Logo: We see the logo and text from before above the clouds as the sun rises, illuminating everything. In newer films from the company, "製作" is cut from the name, rendering it as simply "Daiei Co., Ltd.".

FX/SFX: The sun rays starting to shine. Fairly simple animation, but good for its time.

Variants:


 * Size may vary.
 * A black and white version exists.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the movie or none.

Availability: Uncommon, bordering from scarce to very rare.
 * Can be seen on every film (excluding early ones) produced from the company, including the famous Rashomon, and Ju Dou. It is also seen on later films before the defunct production company's like Pulse and Akira Kurosawa's Dreams.
 * Example of the 1960's and early 1970's Nagata-era titles include Tokyo Onigiri Musume (1961), An Actor's Revenge (1963), Typhoon Reporter (Fūsoku shichijūgo-mai) (1963), The Black Trademark (Kuro no shōhyō) (1963), The Black Parker (Kuro no chūshajō) (1963), Shibire kurage (The Numbness) (1970), the Gamera film series, and the Zatoichi film series.
 * The Tokuma-era films that was distributed or produced by Daiei is scarce; it was seen on Kinkanshoku (1975), Kimi yo Fundo no Kawa o Watare (1976), and Gamera: Super Monster (1980).
 * This was seen on some current prints of films that plastered the 1st logo, including Rashomon (1950), and The Loyal 47 Ronin (1958).