Shochiku Music Publishing  

Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company that was founded in 1895 in Kyoto as a kabuki theater management company. In 1914, it acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo and later entered the film production industry in 1920 with the establishment of the Kamata Film Studio. Today, it is recognized as one of Japan's Big Four film studios and is the oldest among them. Additionally, Shochiku is a member of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ). Apart from film production, it also produces and distributes anime films, particularly those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks through a long-standing partnership. Notable directors associated with Shochiku include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita, Yōji Yamada, Takashi Miike, Takeshi Kitano, Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi, and Hou Hsiao-hsien.