Kotobukiya was first opened by Jusaburo Shimizu in Japan in 1947 and began as a single toy store for dolls. In 1953, together with his two brothers, Mr. Shimizu re-created his sole proprietorship into a limited liability company. While continuing to focus on retail sales, Kotobukiya's first venture into original products as a model kit manufacturer began in 1983 with Armament. This was then followed up by its very first licensed kit, King Godzilla, in 1985. Kotobukiya's first foray into the non-kit business was in May of 1989 with the release of soft vinyl statues and active styling figures (now known as ARTFX statues). Since then, the company has increased its lineup to include fully assembled and painted resin statues (Fine Art statues), Bishoujo (pretty girl) statues and 1:10 scale ARTFX+ statues, to name a few. (less)