Eiji Tsuburaya (円谷 英二) (1901-1970) is a special effects artist who is notable for his long-lasting work within Japanese special effects filmmaking. He is most notable as the original designer behind Godzilla when working with Toho in 1954. Later, he formed his own production company, Tsuburaya Productions, which became well known for it's Japanese special effects programs, most notably the Ultra Series which created the giant superhero Ultraman.