Shochiku

Shochiku Co., Ltd.

Headquarters in Tsukiji, Chūō, Tokyo
Native name	松竹株式会社
Romanized name	Shōchiku Kabushiki gaisha
Company type	Public (Kabushiki gaisha)
Traded as	TYO: 9601 FSE: 9601
Industry	Entertainment (film)
Founded	1895; 129 years ago (1895)
Founders	Takejirō Ōtani Matsujirō Shirai
Headquarters	Tsukiji 4-1-1, Chūō, Tokyo , Japan
Revenue	5.4 billion yen (2021)
Number of employees	1,427 (2021)
Subsidiaries	Shochiku Costume Shochiku Service Network Shochiku Showbiz Studios Shochiku Geino Shochiku Broadcasting Shochiku Studio Shochiku Video Center Shochiku Multiplex Theatres Shochiku Music Publishing
Website	www.shochiku.co.jp

Shochiku Co., Ltd. (松竹株式会社, Shōchiku Kabushiki gaisha) is a Japanese entertainment company. It started its business in 1895 by managing kabuki theaters in Kyoto, and in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and established the Kamata Film Studio. Currently, it is considered one of Japan's Big Four film studios and is the oldest among the Big Four. Shochiku is a member of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ).

It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not all, anime films produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks). Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada. It has also produced films by highly regarded independent and "loner" directors such as Takashi Miike, Takeshi Kitano, Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi and Taiwanese New Wave director Hou Hsiao-hsien.