Logo description and capture by kidinbedLogo video by quaestor19681st Logo
(1921-2000)
Nicknames: "Mt. Fuji", "Fuji-san", "松竹", "松竹株式"
Logo: We see a picture of Mount Fuji with moving clouds. The kanji "松竹株式" (which mean "Shochiku Company, Limited") and a small fan (Shochiku's emblem) fade in.
Evolution:
1921-This logo first appears when Shochiku starts doing films.
1950's-The logo is in color and has a bombastic new fanfare.
FX: The moving clouds and the fading in.
Cheesy Factor: This goes off the scale. The kanji look cheaply chyroned in, and the moving clouds are a bit cheaply animated.
Music/Sounds: Usually silent, but around the '50s, this logo started using a very bombastic and battling horn, flute, and timpani fanfare.
American International Television pirated this music into their logo.
Availability: Seen on a lot of Japanese movies and tokusatsu of the time period. Shochiku released some very famous films directed by Kurosawa, Kinoshita, Oshima and Ozu, among others, so be on the lookout.
Scare Factor: Low for the silent version and medium for the version with fanfare; the cheapness of the logo and bombastic music may scare a few first-time viewers, but it's a favorite among the Japanese audience, as well as anime and tokusatsu fans.
2nd Logo
(2000?-)(2000-)
Nicknames: "Fuji Northern Lights", "Aurora Borealis", "Aurora Mt. Fuji"
Logo: We see the
aurora borealis or northern lights. They ripple and transform into Mount Fuji. A gold version of the new Shochiku logo (the Shochiku fan and the company's name in a Times-like font) fades in. The logo shines and the top of Mt. Fuji fades from blue to yellow.
FX: Everything in gorgeous CGI.
Music: None or the opening theme of the movie.
Availability: On new Shochiku films. In the US, you can find it on the 2003 version of
Zatoichi as well as FUNimation releases of Japanese films and anime released by Shochiku such as
Tsubasa Chronicle/xxxHoliC: The Movies, Vexille, and
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade.Scare Factor: None, this logo is professional, but it's annoying to some who love the first logo.