The Toho Studios Godzilla Statue

Text and photos by Armand Vaquer



Last October, I posted a blog on Hibiya's Godzilla Statue. This is a companion blog on the Godzilla statue that now stands at the entrance to Toho Studios.

Back in 2004, Godzilla Final Wars was announced as the last Toho-produced Godzilla movie for at least a decade due to dwindling boxoffice receipts.

After Godzilla Final Wars was released, Toho made some major changes to their studios in the Setaygaya ward of Tokyo in the ensuing years.

Out were some old soundstages, administrative buildings (including a 1950s era snack bar) and the famous big pool, where Godzilla's water scenes were shot.

New and modern soundstages were erected along with new administrative facilities. Part of the modernization of Toho Studios was a new front gate with a giant mural of one of Toho's most revered movies, Seven Samurai.

Along with the Seven Samurai mural, the new main gate now has a man-sized statue of Toho's biggest star, Godzilla.

I visited the main gate at Toho Studios last December during my trip to Japan for promoting The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

Above, Armand with the Godzilla statue at Toho Studios.

The statue is taller than me (I'm 5'11") and its design is of the Heisei series Godzilla. I'd hazard a guess that it stands about seven feet tall.

Above, Godzilla's tail gouges a wall behind him. The main gate and the bottom portion of the "Seven Samurai" mural are in the background.

Toho Studios does not provide tours of their facilities, but fans can go to Setagaya to view the statue, the Seven Samurai mural and the studios on the outside.


Information on how to reach Toho Studios is provided in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

What Was It Like To Play Godzilla, King Kong, Rodan, Mothra ......?

Written By: Ken Hulsey

When monster movie fans think of the names Godzilla, King Kong, Rodan, Mothra and Varan they most often times have fond memories of 200-foot-tall creatures stepping on buildings while terrified townspeople flee for their lives in terror. Though these monsters may be household names to just about everyone, the man who actually climbed into the hot and cumbersome costumes to make them come to life has been an unsung hero who has very rarely received any credit.

That man is Haruo Nakajima, a Japanese actor who from 1954 to 1972 put on the heavy rubber costumes to play Toho's most famous movie monsters.

Nakajima started out in the Japanese movie industry as a bit player in the early 1950's. The eager young actor was mostly cast as a background extra and often times found himself on the wrong end of a sword, that is, until one day Eiji Tsuburaya (known as the father of Japanese special effects) approached him about volunteering for a risky stunt. The film that would ultimately bring both Nakajima and Tsuburaya together was the WWII action film "Operation Kamikaze" in which a pilot was to emerge from a crashed aircraft completely engulfed in flames. A stunt where an actor was to be set on fire had never been attempted in Japan before and Tsuburaya was looking for someone brave enough to be the guinea pig. Nakajima was the only actor to step forward when called.

As fate would have it, a year later Tsuburaya would be looking for someone to once again do something never before attempted in a Japanese movie, this time however he needed an actor to wear a heavy monster costume made of melted car tires for a film called "Gojira" (Godzilla). As Nakajima explains Tsuburaya, and the film's director Ishiro Honda (who also directed Operation Kamikaze) knew exactly who to call, "The film makers were scratching their heads wondering who they could get to put on the suit, then the remembered my stunt. They thought, hey let's get that guy we set on fire last year."

Though Nakajima didn't know what he was about to get himself into, he accepted the job, if for nothing else, to keep himself employed.

Nakajima endured wearing that 200-pound costume for the entire filming of "Gojira". Though other actors were cast to play the monster, only Nakajima could tolerate the costume, long working hours and awful filming conditions.

The filming for "Gojira" took place in the summer of 1954, which would be one of the hottest on record in Japan. Since the stages at Toho had no air conditioning and because Nakajima had to wear that heavy costume, the production was moved from a normal shooting during the day to a 5pm to 5am schedule. According to the actor "The crew often times said that the shooting schedule was the real Gojira (Monster)."

The success of "Gojira" spawned numerous sequels and other special effects driven films. Every time one of those films needed a monster Nakajima was called upon to do the dirty work. In the sequel to Gojira/Godzilla, entitled "Godzilla Raids Again" Nakajima's character was pitted against another monster, Anguirus, who was played by fellow actor Katsumi Tezuka. Nakajima took Tezuka under his wing to teach him how to act in the monster's cumbersome costume. Though the actor did his best, Nakajima knew that his understudy didn't have what it took, "He had a hard time in the costume and he could only move around in it for short periods of time."

As the years kept coming so did the monster roles for Nakajima. Next came "Rodan" then "Varan" and then "Mothra". The filming was long, hard and very dangerous. Nakajima admits that he was injured in some way or another on every single production. On the set of "Varan" the actor was hurt very seriously when a miniature building blew up underneath him. Despite being in severe pain he never let anyone know about it, "I felt like I could have gone to the hospital, but I knew if I had to go then the crew would have to go home, and not get payed for the time, so I stuck it out."

Likewise on the set of "Rodan" a cable snapped while Nakajima was inside the monster's costume suspended some 10-meters above the sound stage, "The cable broke and I began to spin wildly before the whole thing gave way and I came crashing to the ground. Luckily the costume had wings and I landed in the water which protected me."

Tsuburaya was very pleased to see that Nakajima was okay stating, "I'm glad that you didn't die."

Nakajima notes that not all of the parts he played were difficult, in fact the role of Moguera in "The Mysterians" was literally a walk in the park, "The role was easy, all the robot did was walk around and the suit was light."

Nakajima's hardest role came in 1967 when he was called upon to play another world-famous monster, King Kong, in "King Kong Escapes". The actor recalls, "The monster was very hard to play because the suit was so different. The arms were long, longer than my own, and I had to use sticks to control the hands, also the legs were short so I had to walk all hunched over."

On the set of "Frankenstein Conquers the World" Nakajima had the pleasure of showcasing his martial arts skills against fellow actor Koji Furuhata (as Frankenstein). Likewise he would also get to showcase his fighting skills three years later, this time against Yû Sekida in "War of the Gargantuas".

Nakajima remembers sparing against Furuhata and giving the young man a few tips on acting, "The guy that they got to play opposite me wasn't an actor so I had to take some time to teach him how to work in front of the camera. I did enjoy working with him though, we got to match our martial arts skills. He was a black belt and I used my judo."

As Baragon, however, the actor had yet another unique experience on set, "The monster didn't fly as such, but had to leap great distances. There were four or so crew members with wires that had to pull as hard as they could to get me to launch forward."

Though playing monsters was hard, Nakajima never complained, thinking that he would be a fool to pass up such work, a fact that Tsuburaya playfully reminded him of on several occasions, "He would say to me 'even a fool could do this', so I never complained or said no."

Though Nakajima has played a vast number of monsters, it was revealed at this years Monsterpalooza that two of the monsters he has been credited as playing were not actually him at all. One being the insect-like Meganeuron from "Rodan" and the other being the giant walrus from "Gorath". When asked about these two monsters Nakajima stated that he never played them, though several pieces of documentation state that he did.

Haruo Nakajima is not the only actor to ever play Godzilla, there were two others, but his ground-breaking work in the early days of Toho monster movies set a standard for which every other suit actor would be measured. He gave the "King of the Monsters" and his brethren life and helped establish the monster as a world-wide cinema icon. His hours of hard work has brought such joy to movie fans around the world. It is only fitting that this unsung hero of the silver screen get the kudos that he much deserves.

Haruo Nakajima we take off our monster heads to salute you!


See Also: Godzilla Takes Burbank: NBC Interviews Haruo Nakajima At Monsterpalooza / Godzilla: Kaiju World Wars Board Game / GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #4 And GODZILLA: GANGSTERS AND GOLIATHS Coming In June / Is Legendary Pictures About To Hand GODZILLA Over To Del Toro? / Godzilla To Stomp On 70 Comic Book Stores This March / The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #10 - #1 / Godzilla Stomp Card Game / Gareth Edwards Talks About GODZILLA To The Press / Is There Going To Be A New "Japanese" Godzilla Movie In 2012? / Reflections On The Hiring Of Gareth Edwards As The Director of Godzilla / Gareth Edwards To Direct Legendary's Godzilla / More Info On GODZILLA MONSTER WORLD From IDW / Godzilla vs The Gryphon - Exclusive Art From Todd Tennant / Godzilla - 13-Inch Plush - Doll / Chinese Entertainment Co. Buys Share In Legendary Pictures / Godzilla Goes Prime-Time! - Godzilla vs Megalon On NBC In 1977 / Putting Legendary Pictures Godzilla 3D (2012) Into Perspective (Part 2) / Godzilla 2012: Brian Rogers On Legendary Pictures Film Plans / GODZILLA 2012 Producer Brian Rogers To Speak At 3D ENTERTAINMENT SUMMIT / It's GODZILLA Vs TUFFZILLA In Court / New Legendary Pictures GODZILLA Design To Be Revealed At Comic Con! / Arkansas Family Builds Ultimate GODZILLA Suit / Tim Burton On For MONSTERPOCALYPSE - Still In Line For GODZILLA? - More Film Details! / A Reason To Be Optimistic About Godzilla 3D (2012)? / Hot Off The Press! Page 77 Of Todd Tennant's "Godzilla 1994" Online Comic / Godzilla, Anguirus, And The Case Of The Missing Monster Suits / Godzilla 3-D, Godzilla 2012, Rumors And Misinformation Abound / What The Fans Want To See In An American Godzilla / Godzilla 2012 - Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros (Fan Group) / It's Official! A New Godzilla Movie Is Coming In 2012! / Get Ready With Your Finger Missiles And Robot Punch! The Shogun Warriors Are Coming To The Big Screen! / Japanese Uber Geekdome - Godzilla Related Cosplay & The Return Of The Life-Sized Gundam

Two Godzillas? Rubbish!

by Armand Vaquer


There's an article that appeared in the Pittsburgh Film Industry Examiner website alleging that there may be two Godzilla movies in 2012, one from Toho and the other from Legendary Pictures/Warner Brothers.

This article came to me last night courtesy of Google.

It was written by Fiore Mastracci and it contains so many factual errors that I was just going to ignore it and not post anything here about it. I did post the link to a couple of Godzilla fan forums and the reaction was predictable: universally panned.

The article claimed that Toho "announced" their plan to end Godzilla's "forced retirement" early (i.e., 2012). There's been no such announcement, otherwise we'd have been discussing it for months. Believe me, if there were such an announcement, fans would have been on top of it immediately.

Toho and Legendary Pictures came to an agreement on a new American Godzilla film last year (they had been in negotiations at least since 2009), so Toho wouldn't even consider undercutting the American production with a movie of their own. It doesn't make any business or logical sense.

I am pretty close to some of the Toho executives, and none have given any indication of such a planned Japanese return of the Big G. A fan posted a comment on Mastracci's article asking for the source of this. It will be interesting to see Mastracci's reply.

He even got the good and bad guys wrong in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001).

Mastracci seems to be a nice guy, but, unfortunately, his article is just erroneous.

Sorry, folks, there's nothing to see here. But if you insist, to read the article, go here.

Is There Going To Be A New "Japanese" Godzilla Movie In 2012?

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: The Examiner (Pittsburgh)

Is Toho planning to release a brand-new "Godzilla" movie in Japan at the same time that the new Legendary Pictures "Godzilla 3D" is released here in America?

Well, according to a Pittsburgh film industry reporter ........ yes, that is exactly what Toho is planning to do and actually has been planning to do for some time.

According to Fiore Mastracci of Examiner.com Toho had originally wanted to produce a new "Godzilla" movie for a 2012 release, but due to issues with the script and other aspects of the film the studio was having trouble getting things moving. When the Japanese movie company was approached by Legendary Pictures about making another "American" Godzilla movie they viewed it as a way to get the monster back into theaters without having to produce a film themselves.

Now, however, the studio may be looking to go forward with their own Godzilla movie after all.

According to the report, Toho may still be aiming for a December 2012 release date for their film, which may mean that the Japanese movie and Legendary's "Godzilla 3D" may be released within months, or weeks, of each other creating an international Godzilla vs Godzilla cinema battle.

Here is an excerpt from the original article:

Toho may scrub its planned 2012 release and attempt to satisfy fans with the new American version. This will allow them to keep to their original decade of retirement. The American version will satisfy clamoring fans and give the parent company the needed time to work out its difficulties. But, as of now, both movies could be released within months of each other, creating an on-screen battle of epic proportions.

The article also states that Toho may plan to make a new Godzilla movie, then put its release on hold to see how the American film does. If the Gareth Edwards helmed 3D "G" film does well, then Toho would release the Japanese movie, if not, then they may opt to scrap it or release it only in Japan.

Another excerpt:

No official word from Toho yet if it will still release its project in December 2012 or add the two remaining years to Godzilla’s forced retirement. Speculation is that Toho may release its new version of Godzilla, but only in Japan, allowing them to gauge reaction to Edward's treatment first and providing the opportunity to compare fan reaction and acceptance.

I want to point out that this is the first time that I have heard anything about this. Could it be that somehow with all the excitement surrounding Lengendary's "Godzilla 3D" Toho was able to slip this one under the radar?

Maybe.

Then again Maybe not. It is hard to gauge whether Fiore Mastracci may have gotten a scoop that has eluded just about everyone in the monster movie media, or that he may have simply gotten his facts wrong, confusing the ill-fated "Godzilla 3D To The Max" with a new Toho Godzilla movie.

Hopefully, this is all legit and we can all look forward to possibly two new Godzilla films in the next couple of years.

Here is the original article - Battle of Godzillas may be newest screen battle.

See Also: Reflections On The Hiring Of Gareth Edwards As The Director of Godzilla / Gareth Edwards To Direct Legendary's Godzilla / More Info On GODZILLA MONSTER WORLD From IDW / Godzilla vs The Gryphon - Exclusive Art From Todd Tennant / Godzilla - 13-Inch Plush - Doll / Chinese Entertainment Co. Buys Share In Legendary Pictures / Godzilla Goes Prime-Time! - Godzilla vs Megalon On NBC In 1977 / Putting Legendary Pictures Godzilla 3D (2012) Into Perspective (Part 2) / Godzilla 2012: Brian Rogers On Legendary Pictures Film Plans / GODZILLA 2012 Producer Brian Rogers To Speak At 3D ENTERTAINMENT SUMMIT / It's GODZILLA Vs TUFFZILLA In Court / New Legendary Pictures GODZILLA Design To Be Revealed At Comic Con! / Arkansas Family Builds Ultimate GODZILLA Suit / Tim Burton On For MONSTERPOCALYPSE - Still In Line For GODZILLA? - More Film Details! / A Reason To Be Optimistic About Godzilla 3D (2012)? / Hot Off The Press! Page 77 Of Todd Tennant's "Godzilla 1994" Online Comic / Godzilla, Anguirus, And The Case Of The Missing Monster Suits / Godzilla 3-D, Godzilla 2012, Rumors And Misinformation Abound / What The Fans Want To See In An American Godzilla / Godzilla 2012 - Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros (Fan Group) / It's Official! A New Godzilla Movie Is Coming In 2012! / Get Ready With Your Finger Missiles And Robot Punch! The Shogun Warriors Are Coming To The Big Screen! / Japanese Uber Geekdome - Godzilla Related Cosplay & The Return Of The Life-Sized Gundam / "Godzilla 1985": 25th Anniversary / All Monsters Attack (aka Godzilla's Revenge)(1969)(Toho) / A Godzilla Plush Doll For All You Little Monsters / Run For Your Life! It's Godzilla!!...No...Wait It's A Crustacean / Putting Legendary Pictures Godzilla Into Perspective / Legendary Pictures Announces New Godzilla Movie! / Roland Emmerich Proud Of Godzilla, Not Making Sequel / Toho Tells Comcast, "Didn't You Learn From Subway? You Can't Use Godzilla To Sell Cable TV!"

Monster Japan Travel Guide Article In GaijinPot.com

by Armand Vaquer



Gaijinpot.com has posted an article on The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

It includes one of the interviews I did during my recent trip to Japan.

The article reads in part:

Most of the locations covered in the book are primarily from Toho’s Godzilla series of movies, but other studios’ monster movies are also covered. Toho started the giant monster movie genre in 1954 with “Godzilla.” Locations used include the Wako Department Store in Ginza, Kachidoki Bridge on the Sumida River and the Diet building. These and other Tokyo locations are covered in the guide. Also included are Ultraman – related places of interest.

To read the article, go here.

Stopping By Toho Studios

Above, standing at the main entrance to Toho Studios, is a man-sized statue of Godzilla.

Text and photos by Armand Vaquer

While I was in Tokyo this month, I headed over to the Setagaya ward to see the new (about three years old new) Godzilla statue and the Seven Samurai mural at the entrance to Toho Studios.

The last time I visited Toho Studios was in November 2001. At the time, Toho was still producing Godzilla movies. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) premiered the next day after my studio visit at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

When I was at Toho Studios back then, older sound stages, the giant pool and facilities still existed. After the release of Godzilla Final Wars in 2004, many of those facilities, giant pool and sound stages were torn down and replaced with new sound stages and facilities, which included a new main gate area.

I did not step foot inside the studio on this trip, but I was able to see from the outside some of the changes made within the studio. I took some pictures during this visit. Click on the images to see them larger.

Above, a mural honoring one of Toho's most revered movies, "Seven Samurai."

Above, here I am with the Godzilla statue.

Above, studio workers walk past a mural of Mothra. The mural is located down the driveway from the main gate to the studio.

Above, this is a flood control canal that is alongside of the studio property.

Above, this is a side entrance into the studio. To reach the gate, one has to cross a bridge over the flood control canal.

Above, the Toho Sound Studio is located just outside the side entrance into the main studio lot.

Above, this view through the trees is of the Toho main lot. On the left is an older sound stage. To the right of it is a new soundstage facility, which stands roughly on the former site of the giant pool. The side entrance bridge is to the right.

Above, another view of the Toho Sound Studio, this time from the flood control canal. Note the beer vending machine in front.

Above, another shot with the Godzilla statue with a copy of "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan." Fans can also use the guide to get them to the studios.

Return To Tokyo

Text and photos by Armand Vaquer

For the past week, I've been in Japan promoting The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

While here, I've spoken to some book dealers and two newspapers, Japan Today and The Daily Yomiuri. My interview with The Daily Yomiuri is slated to appear December 24 and I'm to receive some additional interview questions via email from Japan Today this coming week.

It hasn't been all business here. I visited the (relatively) new Godzilla statue at the main gate of Toho Studios. Following that, I headed over to the Asakusa section of Tokyo to see the new Sky Tree Tower and do some gift shopping. One morning, I visited the Tsukiji Fish Market.

I also saw Space Battleship Yamato at the Toho Cinemas at the Yurakucho Mullion in Ginza.

I am currently in Niigata (on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu) until tomorrow. Then it's back to Tokyo.

As pictures "are worth a thousand words," here's a few from the Tokyo portion of my trip to Japan:

"Space Battleship Yamato": Right Place At The Right Time!

by Armand Vaquer



Talk about perfect timing!

Space Battleship Yamato opened in Japan yesterday. The scuttlebutt is that the live-action movie is a hit at the boxoffice, in fact, it's number one! Although I have a busy schedule while in Tokyo next week, I will squeeze in a viewing of the film during an evening. Talk about being at the right place at the right time!

It is based on the widely-popular anime series of the mid-1970s/early-1980s. Some critics have panned the movie and some purists of the anime series are peeved over some character changes. Still, the movie is doing well.

The plot:

The year is 2199, and the Earth has been under radioactive siege from extraterrestrials known as the Gamilas for five years. The Earth's surviving population has moved underground to escape the bombardment, but the contamination is slowly penetrating to reach them. The last space battleship of the exhausted Earth Defense Forces, Yamato, sets out on a journey to Iscandar, a planet located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, to acquire a device that can heal the ravaged Earth before it is too late.

The movie was directed by Takashi Yamazaki and it stars Koyuki, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi and Meisa Kuroki.

Space Battleship Yamato was released by Toho Co., Ltd.

Hibiya's Godzilla Statue

by Armand Vaquer

This coming December 5 marks the 15th anniversary of the Godzilla statue in Hibiya, Tokyo.

The statue was erected on that date concurrent with the release of the final Heisei series Godzilla movie, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah on December 9, 1995.

I've visited the statue several times during my five trips to Japan, the first being my 2001 trip for the Tokyo International Film Festival premiere of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. Of course, one must have a camera on hand (as I did) for the obligatory photos of the statue. Godzilla fans traveling to Japan consider a visit to the statue as a "must."






Left, my first visit to the Godzilla statue in Hibiya came in November 2001.



Above, the statue is visited by members of G-TOUR in August 2004.

Above, to kill some time before going to Toho International to meet with Masaharu Ina, I stopped by the statue and found a television crew conducting an interview in October 2005. The statue is in the background at left.




Using a digital camera in Japan for the first time, I took this photo (right) of the statue in April 2007. It was the photo used on the cover of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.



Information on how to get to the Godzilla statue in Hibiya is included in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.






Toho Co., Ltd. has erected a new statue of Godzilla at the front of the studio. Visitors can go there to view it along with a new mural of The Seven Samurai.




Above, also from my 2007 trip to Japan, Japanese office workers are taking cigarette breaks near the statue.

Toho vs. Grill Zilla BBQ

Godzilla's owners, Toho Co., Ltd., has dispatched their lawyers against a Maine eatery called "Grill Zilla BBQ," claiming trademark infringement. The offending logo is at right.

According to The Kennebec Journal of Augusta, Maine:

Getting a certified letter from a lawyer is rarely a pleasant experience. But when the lawyer represents Godzilla, well, you know you're in big, big trouble.

"I don't want to hire lawyers. But I am ready to call their bluff," said Sarah Burnham. "I mean do they really want to take this fight on? Do they really want to sue us?"

Apparently so. And here's why.

For the past five years, Burnham and her husband, Jay Swett, have owned and operated a thriving lunch-and-dinner stand out of an old Frito-Lay delivery truck on U.S. Route 1 just north of picturesque downtown Damariscotta.

Its name: Grill Zilla BBQ.

Its motto: "So good it's SCARY!"

Its logo: A smiling green creature with a red apron who, the way Burnham sees him, is part dinosaur, part alligator and part dragon. Or, as Swett sees him, "Tyrannosaurus rex on steroids."

Either way, the lawyers for Toho Co. Ltd., a Japanese entertainment conglomerate that owns the rights to the 56-year-old movie icon Godzilla, recently took a long look at Grill Zilla BBQ and saw trademark infringement.

To me, the logo bears no resemblance to Godzilla.

To read the full story, go here.