Nippon Eiga Shinsha

Background

Nippon Eigasha (日本映画社, Japan Film Company), shortened as Nichiei, was a Japanese major film company established in 1940 from the merger of four news film companies, initially as Nippon News Eigasha (日本ニュース映画社, Japan News Film Company), with the main purpose of producing the Nippon News newsreel. In 1941, Nippon News Eigasha was reincorporated with the bunka eiga (culture film) departments of film companies Toho (Toho Bunka Eiga) and Shochiku (Shochiku Bunka Eiga), alongside various other culture film companies, and was renamed as Nippon Eigasha. In 1943, Nippon Eigasha established a branch in the Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies, which was taken by the newly-formed Indonesian government and became Berita Film Indonesia (BFI) in 1945.

In 1949, the company was rebranded as Nippon Eiga Shinsha Co., Ltd. (日本映画新社). Nippon Eiga Shinsha was involved in producing promotional videos for government-related organizations, local governments, corporations, private groups, and schools. They also engaged in the production of educational materials, television programs, lending out film libraries for newsreels, and selling and developing other visual materials. The company owned a vast property in Kamiosaki, Shinagawa Ward (now replaced by the "City Court Meguro" condominiums), but its final headquarters were located in Minato, Tokyo.

On April 1, 2008, the company transferred its library operations to Toho subsidiary Toho Stella and was dissolved on April 24, 2009.

Nippon News Eigasha

Contents

Logo (1940)

Nippon Eigasha

Contents

1st Logo (1942)	2nd Logo (December 1942-1943)	3rd Logo (April 27, 1944)	4th Logo (January 2, 1946-1948)

Nippon Eiga Shinsha

Contents

1st Logo (1950-19??)	2nd Logo (19??-1968)	3rd Logo (1968-19??)

Nippon News Eigasha

Logo (1940)

Early version

Visuals: The Nichiei logo (a circle with the characters 日央日 inside) is engraved on a rock background. A light casts a shadow to the left of the logo. The company name 日本ニュース映画社 (Nippon News Eigasha) only appears on the title card of the program.

Variants:

On the first issue of Nippon News, the logo is illuminated differently, with lighter shadows.
Sometimes, a closing variant is used, which has the program name and "終" ("End") superimposed over the logo. Here the light is from the left, casting a shadow to the right of the logo.

Technique: A painting filmed by a camera.

Audio: None.

Availability: Only seen on the first few issues of the Nippon News newsreel; all issues are available on NHK's website.

Nippon Eigasha

1st Logo (1942)

Visuals: On a dark sunburst-like background, a small Nichiei logo in white can be seen in the center. Below is the kanji "社団法人日本映画社".

Technique: A painting filmed by a camera.

Audio: None.

Availability: Can be seen on Sensen nimankiro (戦線二万粁).

2nd Logo (December 1942-1943)

Visuals: On a black background, a 3D Nichiei logo is shown upright, with a reflection underneath it. Below are two sets of 3D kanji, with one to the bottom left of the logo reading "社団法人" (Corporation) and below that in the center reading "日本映画社" (Nippon Eigasha/Japan Film Company).

Technique: A painting filmed by a camera.

Audio: A custom fanfare.

Availability: Can be seen on Sora no shinpei, Marē senki shingeki no kiroku and Rikugun kōkū senki.

3rd Logo (April 27, 1944)

Visuals: On a moving starfield-like background, the Nichiei logo in white is seen with the company name in Japanese below. The logo fades away and some Japanese text fades in.

Technique: Motion controlled animation.

Audio: A horn fanfare.

Availability: Seen on Gouchin (轟沈).

4th Logo (January 2, 1946-1948)

Visuals: On a black background, there is a large Nichiei emblem in white. The Japanese name in a thin font is seen below.

Variant: On Ikite iru pan (生きているパン), there is no text below.

Technique: A painting filmed by a camera.

Audio: A custom fanfare or none.

Availability: Seen on Nippon no Higeki,Seikei-hi 500-en and Ikite iru pan

Nippon Eiga Shinsha

1st Logo (1950-19??)

Visuals: There is the Nippon Eigasha emblem with the company name "製作日本映画新社" below.

Variants:

On Fūsetsu to no to i, the logo is black over a white background.
On O isemairi, the logo is white over a black background. "製作" is also above "日本映画新社" and below that is an English copyright notice "©1953 NIPPON EIGA SHINSHA TOKYO".

Technique: A still, printed image.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on Fūsetsu to no to i and O isemairi.

2nd Logo (19??-1968)

Visuals: Over a black background is the Nichiei emblem on the upper left corner of the screen. On the bottom right corner of the screen is "日映作品".

Technique: A still, printed image.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on Nītakayamanobore Nihon teikoku no hōkai.

3rd Logo (1968-19??)

Visuals: Against a black or a colored background is the Nichiei emblem, redesigned slightly to look thicker than before. Below is "日映画新社作品".

Variants:

On Siberia hito no sekai, the logo is white over a red background.
On History of Postwar Japan as Told by a Bar Hostess (Nippon Sengoshi - Madamu onboro no Seikatsu), the logo is white over a black background.
On Hiroku Taiheiyo Senso zenshi, the logo is yellow over a black background.

Technique: A still, printed image.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on Siberia hito no sekai, Nippon Sengoshi - Madamu onboro no Seikatsu, and Hiroku Taiheiyo Senso zenshi.

◄	Toho Bunka Eiga Shochiku Bunka Eiga Jujiya Eigabu Dai Nippon Bunka Eiga Kyokai

Nippon Eiga Shinsha