Honoring the Father of Special Effects

Eiji Tsuburaya is nicknamed the 'father of special effects', specifically "Tokusatsu", in Japan. He is also known to be the creator of "Kaiju" and is widely recognized as the co-creator of both Godzilla and the Ultraman characters. He was born on this day, July 7th, in 1901. 

In his honor, the "Tokusatsu (Special Effects) Culture Promotion Project Executive Committee" created Special Effects Day 特撮の日 (Tokusatsu no HI) to fall on July 7th annually in Japan. The purpose of the day is to recognize tokusatsu as a uniquely Japanese cultural achievement and to pass its legacy to future generations while helping more people appreciate its appeal. 

Tokusatsu refers to special‑effects techniques used in Japanese media, particularly live-action fiction, fantasy and superhero films and TV shows. It includes such things as reverse filming, high‑speed and time‑lapse shooting, stop‑motion, and composite imagery that creates scenes impossible to capture in real life. The term itself is a contraction of the Japanese phrase tokushu satsuei (特殊撮影), which means "special photography".