Rubber Suit Kings: The Men & Modelers Behind the Monsters Part 2

ULTRAMAN ACES: HEROES FROM THE LAND OF LIGHT

The name Satoshi Furuya might not ring a bell with some, but the character he played certainly will -- Ultraman. For 39 episodes Furuya battled scores of monsters that opened up a wildly successful string of superhero shows for decades. Furuya started out as a bit player at Toho, and had appeared in a few monster epics prior to his most famous role. Like many performers in the kaiju business, Furuya had the opportunity to work with Haruo Nakajima while on ULTRAMAN. Nakajima played opposite Furuya as an assortment of monsters on five occasions; one of which was episode 10, 'The Mysterious Dinosaur Base' wherein the monster Jiras -- two different Godzilla suits with a large frill added to the neck to hide the seam -- had Nakajima inside the costume. Satoshi Furuya also played a small part as a hotel employee in this episode. For episode 39, Furuya did double duty as Zoffy, the eldest Ultra brother who comes to return his sibling to the Land of Light. The actor best known for playing the Nebula M-78 superman likewise played a more substantial human character in the second Ultra hero series, ULTRASEVEN (1967) as Ultra Guard member Amagi.

ULTRASEVEN ('67), the follow up to ULTRAMAN, was another huge success for Tsuburaya. With Satoshi Furuya reluctant to put on the wetsuit once more, martial artist and sports enthusiast Koji Kaminishi took the mantle of this new savior from Nebula M-78. Koji had a muscular, 'V' shaped build that gave U7 a distinct, comic book look. Like Satoshi Furuya before him, Koji played a few bit parts over the course of his ULTRASEVEN tour. He got in the business in 1955 with dreams of being a director. He ended up waging a weekly war with giant monsters instead. Kaminishi was a disciple of the famous sword fighting choreographer, Misaki "Kuze Dragon" Gentaro. The athlete followed up U7 in the suit acting role of another popular spaceman character in SPECTREMAN (1971). Prior to playing a Tsuburaya superhero, the athletic Koji acted in a few of Akira Kurosawa's movies. In the late 1970s, he became a producer and tried to get his own superhero television series off the ground in the early 1980s.

Eiichi Kikuchi has had one of the longest, and busiest careers of the Ultra suit actors. Like those before him, he's performed in front of the camera both in and out of monster suits. DENJIN ZARBORGER (1974), BATTLE HAWK (1976), SPIDERMAN (1978), BATTLE FEVER J (1979), and DAI SENTAI GOGGLE V (1982) are among his actor credits. In-suit roles include TV programs like AMBASSADOR MAGMA (1966), MONSTER PRINCE (1967), FIGHT! MIGHTY JACK (1968) and the obscure MAJIN VANDER (1969). His biggest break came in the form of an M-78 spaceman, KAETTE KITA ULTRAMAN (RETURN OF ULTRAMAN, alias ULTRAMAN JACK). Kikuchi was said to have initially refused the role after getting first hand knowledge of the hardships involved when he stepped in for Koji Kaminishi to play U7 for the exceptional two-parter, 'Invasion from Outer Space parts 1 and 2'. He allegedly referred a bodybuilder (Nakaoka Shintaro) for the role instead, but considering the slender build of model Jiro Dan (who played Jack's human alter ego), Kikuchi was approached again. After calling the producers bluff by declaring he be paid nearly twice the original fee, plus a character role, his demand was agreed to, and he ended up accepting. Eichi Kikuchi reprised his U-Jack role, albeit briefly, in the first episode of ULTRAMAN ACE (1972).

THE GRAVEYARD OF MONSTERS

The Japanese take their kaiju very seriously. The artisans literally pour their heart and soul into their creations; just as the actors performing inside of them form a bond with the latex "skin" they wear. So when it comes time to bid farewell, it's a melancholic occasion akin to burying your loved ones. On April 22nd, 1973, a "Monster Memorial" of sorts was held at Futakotamagawa Gardens in Tokyo. A number of apparently well-worn monster suits were laid to rest by cremation, and buried in front of a crowd of spectators. In attendance were Shin Kishida and Mutsumi Gori (both men are visible in bottom right photo). Shinoda Saburo of ULTRAMAN TARO was also among the mourners.

 
As sad an occasion as a kaiju funeral may be for some, cremating those rubber monster suits that had kids riveted while watching their theater and television screens was a bit more dignified than those that are left to rot in studio back lots, or junkyards. Others serve a more noble cause and are saved, albeit in various stages of decomposition for display in museum exhibits.

Some of the suit actors for Tsuburaya's Ultra shows, for whatever reason, didn't stay in the business long. As for the unique ULTRAMAN ACE, Shoji Takeuchi put on the suit of the title spaceman from episode 3 to the end. Hiroshi Nagasawa was Ultraman Taro for 53 episodes and did little else. A multitude of stunt men performed suit acting duties as ULTRAMAN 80, but only Kenji Fukuda seemingly had a lasting career out of the bunch. Of the few that came after the popular RETURN OF ULTRAMAN (1971), only the stuntman that played U-LEO (1974) had a lengthy career.

As Ultraman Leo, Tatsumi Nikamoto (see above) was incredible performing inside the wet suit pulling off a near constant stream of acrobatic maneuvers in action scenes. A martial arts choreographer, he became a member of Sonny Chiba's Japan Action Club in 1971. With everybody "kung fu fighting" around the world at that time, U-LEO had a preference for kung fu combat as opposed to special effects attacks. ULTRAMAN LEO was a mostly somber affair in front of, and off screen. The ratings were not good as previous series', and apparently the actor suffered some injuries while playing the Nebula L77 alien. A staff member named Kazunori Kawaguchi was set to play Leo, but desired a mere guest appearance of Ultraseven in the first episode because of the characters stature, and also the popular Eye Slugger. Nikamoto's other credits include Titanosaurus in TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (1975), the upper body of the Triceratops in THE LAST DINOSAUR (1977), and the giant superhero in the bizarre SciFi series DINOSAUR WAR AIZENBORG (1977).

 

Of the dozens of men playing giant monsters and robots, or kung fu fighting superheroes that piloted enormous robotic machinery, there were relatively few women among their ranks. Possibly the busiest of the small number of female stunt suit actresses is Naoko Kamio. Primarily known for being a stunt woman in Super Sentai programs, she has appeared in movies, too. Naoko was underneath the suits for both Minilla and Rodan in GODZILLA FINAL WARS (2004). She has also done dubbing for women in action series. She is married to the man that played Gamera in GAMERA 3 (1999), stuntman and suit actor, Fukuzawa Hirofumi.

One of the busiest suit actors during the Golden Age of Japanese giant monster cinema was Teruo Arakaki (see insert), a man who worked for Toho, Daiei and Tsuburaya Productions accumulating an incredible body of work in just a couple of years. Despite the dangers he encountered, the actor apparently found the jobs exhilarating. Known primarily for his television work on ULTRAMAN (1966), Arakaki played monsters on the hit Tsuburaya show in 15 episodes. Additionally, his services were retained for five episodes of ULTRASEVEN (1967). Outside of his TV work, Arakaki's biggest claim to fame is likely being inside the cumbersome, heavy Gamera suit for three films in Daiei's Showa series; those entries being GAMERA VS. BARUGON (1966), GAMERA VS. GYAOS (1967) and GAMERA VS. VIRAS (1968). For Toho, Teruo Arakaki played Rodan in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968) and a giant rat in LATITUDE ZERO (1969).

Ultraman remains a lucrative industry in Japan, and on the international scene, but remains a cult commodity in the United States. Restaurants and theme parks were built around all things Ultra. Koji Moritsugu, the actor who played Dan Moroboshi in ULTRASEVEN, owns his own restaurant named Joli Chapeau. Inside his establishment are assorted memorabilia, including the original U7 mask. Unfortunately, the Land of Light dimmed on July 25th, 2011 when a thief broke into the restaurant during off-business hours and stole the mask from its display case. Coincidentally, the 'Type B' Ultraman mask (from the original '66 series) was stolen sometime in the 1970s.

However, the old guard continue to be in the limelight in Japanese pop culture. Above you'll see Toshihiro Iijima seated next to Susumu Kurobe (at left), the actor who played Hayata on the original ULTRAMAN from a live TV broadcast on July 24th, 2012. Iijima helmed numerous episodes of Tsuburaya ULTRA shows including the two featuring Alien Baltan in the original ULTRAMAN (1966); and even extending into more recent series' like ULTRAMAN MAX (2006). He also directed monsters in movies like DAIGORO VS. GOLIATH (1972). (Photo from Asahi.com)

With over 20 Ultra series' made in Japan (two made outside Japan in Australia and America), and a merchandising bonanza -- not to mention a recent series titled ULTRAMAN GINGA (2013), the color timer on Eiji Tsuburaya's creation hasn't begun flashing just yet.

DAIKAIJU DANGERS

The thought of lumbering around inside a rubber suit and smashing miniature sets may not be taken all that serious by some, but for those underneath hundreds of pounds of latex, it's no laughing matter; especially considering all the potential for serious injury, or even death. For instance, Haruo Nakajima suffered a great deal for the craft he was impassioned about. In GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (1955), he was nearly buried under hundreds of pounds of ice that caused the platform he was on to collapse; a cable hoisting him some 20 feet into the air as RODAN (1956) broke sending Nakajima into the big pool below; explosives burned his stomach in VARAN (1958); he claimed to not be bothered by shooting suited scenes in the pool, but Nakajima nearly drowned shooting KKVG in 1962; While not even skipping a beat, the G head piece briefly caught fire in MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA (1964) during one of the military assaults.

Tsuburaya suit actor, Toru Kawai was set aflame while in the Godzilla suit after being pounded by Mechagodzilla's hail of rockets and lasers during the finale of TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (1975). Incredibly, the shot remains in the film. 

Kenpachiro Satsuma (above at right; suit actor Hurricane Ryu at left) has been fairly vocal about the difficulties suit acting can bring. Rain machines pouring water onto him during a sequence in BIOLLANTE made maneuverability almost impossible since the suit absorbs water; he passed out in the pool multiple times resulting in the suit filling with water nearly drowning him; a falling stunt in GVKG went well save for the part where Satsuma hit his head against the set platform; and Satsuma reportedly fainted some six times after inhaling gas fumes in the G suit from GODZILLA VS. DESTROYER in 1995. 

Tsutomu Kitagawa (pictured above about to tip over in the Godzilla suit) experienced his own rather scary suit monster nightmare when his breathing apparatus came loose while he was lowered underwater during a scene requiring him to rise from the sea. With the costume filling with water, no one would notice his dilemma. He was raised with the assist of a crane before anything life-threatening took place.

Suit actors also had to contend with dehydration, lack of oxygen, slick surfaces (algae-caked bottom of the pool), and no air conditioning (in the Showa days) that made performing under all that rubber even more uncomfortable. The use of gasoline and gunpowder for explosions increased the hazardous possibilities the job brought with it. Still, these actors provided a great deal of escapist entertainment for their fans even if they went through hell to do it.

MONSTER MODEL MAKERS

Upon graduating art school in Osaka, Toshimitsu Teizo wasn't long for finding employment in the film industry. Under the aegis of Eiji Tsuburaya, Toshimitsu's early miniature work on THE WAR AT SEA FROM HAWAII TO MALAYA (1942) ultimately led to his sculpting models, and the monsters first for GODZILLA (1954) -- followed by a menagerie of other behemoths. In his early works, the accomplished artisan had a knack for creating creatures with a certain ferociousness about them. Some of his contributions to the Japanese SciFi film industry include Anguirus ('55), Rodan ('56), Varan ('58), King Ghidorah ('64), Mechani-Kong ('67), and Kumonga ('67). Born in 1909, Toshimitsu Teizo passed away in 1982.

The talented, and proud artist/sculptor Toru Narita (above right with Ryosaku Takayama) began his career as a miniature builder on Toho's first two Godzilla pictures before moving into television where he became the art director for ULTRA Q (1966), ULTRAMAN (1966), ULTRASEVEN (1967) and MIGHTY JACK (1968). Reportedly, Narita became increasingly frustrated over the deviations of his creature designs, and he left the company in 1968. Over ten years after his exit from Tsuburaya, Narita was involved in legal entanglements with his former employers over the use of Ultraman and its monster characters in his published art books. He died from a stroke in February of 2002.

Toru Narita designed the many aliens and monsters on Ultraman, including the iconic title spaceman. Under Narita's guidance, sculptor Sasaki Kimyo (miniature builder from ULTRA Q; see insert) was tasked with bringing Narita's concept to life. Three masks (see above) for the Ultra hero were made over the course of the 39 episode run -- Type A was seen in episodes 1-13; Type B from 14-29; and Type C finished out the series from episode 30-39. Kimyo was good at transforming old costumes into new creations, thereby saving on money. For example, Gabora (ep.9) and Jiras (ep.10) were modified Baragon and Godzilla suits respectively. The alterations made to Alien Baltan's second appearance was Kimyo's work, too. Sasaki Kimyo went on to build the Ultraseven mask, and the shoulder protector of the suit.

Masao Yagi came from a family of artists. Like many of Japan's technicians in the special effects field, he contributed to the original 1954 Godzilla production. Joining Daiei in 1956, Yagi worked on THE INVISIBLE MAN & THE HUMAN FLY (1957). This was Daiei's second Invisible Man movie preceded by THE INVISIBLE MAN APPEARS in 1949 (Toho did their own version -- THE INVISIBLE MAN -- in 1954). He was asked to work on Daiei's ill-fated GIANT HORDE BEAST NEZURA in 1963, but declined, and left the company for NTV (Nippon Television Network Corporation) in 1964. Not long after, monster model making machine, Ryosaku Takayama was offered the GAMERA gig (he'd built monsters for GHBN, but the film was scrapped shortly into production), Daiei's first foray into the kaiju kingdom after the failed NEZURA. Takayama turned it down as he was immersed in ULTRA Q at that point; and it was then offered to Yagi. With NTV involved in a labor dispute at that time, he was freed up to work on the project. Using Akira Inoue's designs, Yagi began constructing the original Gamera suit for GIANT MONSTER GAMERA (1965) with help from his SPX colleagues, Michio Mikami, Akira Suzuki, and Murase Tsugizo. Since the Japanese film industry was set up similar to the old Hollywood Studio system, Yagi built what was ostensibly a small garage at his home so his effects associates who were working at Toho could participate in off hours. 

 
By 1966, Yagi founded Ekisu Productions, a model making company with his GAMERA collaborators. They constructed various monsters for the resultant Gamera sequels; the South Korean YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP (1967); the second and third in the DAIMAJIN series; and small-screen programs like KAMEN RIDER (1971) to name a few. By 1972, some of the members branched out to found their own model making companies such as Cosmo Productions.

L to R: Tomoo Haraguchi, Gamera, Akira Inoue, Murase Tsugizo in November 2012

One of these offspring effects houses was the Tsueni Company Limited by sculptor/special effects artist Murase Tsugizo (also listed as Keizo Murase). His company worked on such pictures as Toho's TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (1975), Shaw Brothers THE MIGHTY PEKING MAN (1977) and Kadokawa's LEGEND OF THE EIGHT SAMURAI (1983). The giant snake props in Shaw's THE SNAKE PRINCE (1976) were Tsugizo's work, too. It's worth mentioning that during his tour on the MIGHTY PEKING MAN production, Tsugizo (in insert pic) performed the stunt inside the very suit he built during the fiery finale wherein Utam falls from the top of the Jardine House (formerly Connaught Center). Akin to Fuminori Ohashi, this was a rare instance where the creator played the creation.

At left is Takayama's design for ULTRAMAN monster Telesdon. At right is the finished suit.

Born in 1917, Ryosaku Takayama showed an early knack for painting. Urged by his brother to pursue his talents, Takayama did factory work in his teenage years while honing his artistic skills in his off time. He was a suit builder who worked primarily in television, but managed an incredible load on assorted kaiju movies. When Daiei's giant killer rat movie GIANT HORDE BEAST NEZURA was cancelled in 1964 (due to health hazards after some of the live rats escaped from the set), Takayama was offered a job with Tsuburaya Productions making monsters for the ULTRA Q (1966) series. He then worked in the same capacity on ULTRAMAN and ULTRASEVEN. With such short shooting schedules, Takayama remodeled a lot of old monster suits to look as much like new kaiju as possible. He fashioned at least three suits for RETURN OF ULTRAMAN before moving on to other television projects. In between this busy period, Takayama somehow found time to work on movies like DAIMAJIN (building a full-size model and a miniature), and DAIGORO VS. GOLIATH (1972). The prolific monster maker succumbed to liver cancer in July of 1982 at the age of 65. 

The Works of Ryosaku Takayama, an art book of his kaiju creations was published in 1991. Exhibits of his efforts have been on display over the years. Recently, in the summer of 2013, some of his original designs for ULTRASEVEN were on display in Tokyo for an U7 exhibition.

Shinichi Wakasa is among the last generation of suit makers in this computer generated era. In 1975 he was working on the long-running KAMEN RIDER series as a stunt performer for a Japanese action group named Ohno Kenyu-kai (also listed as Ono Kento-kai). When a stint with Cosmo Prod. didn't pan out, Wakasa formed his own company in 1980 at 20 years of age, christening it Monsters Inc. alongside friend and colleague, fellow suit builder, Tomoo Haraguchi. Working on Ultra shows like ULTRAMAN 80 led to Toho where Wakasa would find himself constructing monsters for GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (1993), GODZILLA VS. SPACE GODZILLA (1994), YAMATO TAKERU (1994), GODZILLA VS. DESTROYER (1995) and Toho's MOTHRA series (1996-1998). Wakasa and his team likewise worked on all but one of the Millennium Godzilla series (the Kaneko entry). For Daiei, Monsters Inc. handled the 'legion' of voracious, cyclopean bug monsters. The monster maker continues to have a busy schedule on films, television, and public attractions.

Tsutomu Kitagawa (left), Kazahiro Yoshida (middle), Nakagawa Moto-shu (right): rehearsing for Godzilla, Gigan and Monster X battle for FINAL WARS (2004). Bottom photo is filming.

There are numerous others who made their mark in Japanese special effects. Whether it be in suit acting (Izumi Umenosuke played Gamera in GUIRON and JIGER; Kasumi Kinichi was both Anguirus and King Seesar in GVM; Hurricane Ryu was Heisei KG, baby Godzilla, etc), model making (Eizo Kaimai, Yagi brothers Koei and Kanji were assistants on GODZILLA 54), miniature designers/builders (Akira Watanabe, Yasuyaki Inoue, Kintaro Makino), many have made an impact on the Tokusatsu genre. 

While today the art of Suitmation is a dying art form even in its native Japan, the artisans who made it fashionable haven't been forgotten. In recent years, SPX artist and director Tomoo Haraguchi (see insert; at right with Showa Gamera molder Murase Tsugizo in November 2005) has restored many of the original tokusatsu suits for a series of exhibitions in Japan. There importance on the world cinema scene is kept alive in the imagination and spirit of the men and women who took up the craft to make those monsters and landscapes come alive -- and in the minds and hearts of their fans, young and old.

Rubber Suit Kings: The Men & Modelers Behind the Monsters Part 1

"...Tokusatsu has been replaced by CG. But the difference is, props actually exist. They have a physical presence that can be experienced. Data doesn't. And it's my hope that people who come to the show will realize how much effort went into these objects. To me, they're more than movie props. They're pieces of history. They're art." -- Tomoo Haraguchi on the Tokusatsu Hakubutsukan exhibit in an interview with The Japan Times August 17th, 2012

Most casual viewers, or non-fans give Japanese monster movies, and their SPX techniques a good ribbing because of the unreality present. Regardless of how fake Suitmation may be to some, the literal blood, sweat and tears shed by the actors inside those bulky, uncomfortable rubber suits was most definitely a reality. They often suffered hardships, injuries, and life-threatening hazards while performing these roles of monsters and aliens from other worlds that have entertained generations for over 60 years now. 

This two part article covers a handful of famous and relatively unknown actors that made their names inside monster suits, and a number of the hard-working technicians who built them.

GREAT MONSTER SUIT WARS

"When I was playing Godzilla, we would show him wrestling with the other monsters. These days, Godzilla and the other monsters are only shown firing their rays at each other." -- Nakajima in 1995 on the Heisei Godzilla pictures

Inarguably the single most famous man to play a giant monster is actor-stuntman, Haruo Nakajima. Generally, when fans think of Suitmation, it's difficult to do so without an image of Nakajima as Godzilla entering ones mind. Destroying miniature sets while inside a 200+ pound suit, the energetic and athletic actor played the iconic Japanese atomic beast from 1954 to 1972 for a total of 12 performances. He joined Toho in 1950. Among his classmates in the studio acting classes he attended were future fellow suit actor Shoichi Hirose and future big name star Tetsura Tamba. After performing stunts in EAGLE OF THE PACIFIC (1953), Nakajima's road to Godzilla was paved. Having intended to play the role till he was 50, he vacated the role permanently in 1972 with GODZILLA VS. GIGAN as his monster suit swan song at 43 years of age. Coupled with the death of Eiji Tsuburaya, the restructuring of Toho, paired with diminishing box office returns, Nakajima was ready to call it quits; then came the downsizing within the studio ranks. The studio did find work for Nakajima around the lot, though; whether it was the Toho bowling alley, or managing their mahjong parlor. Indulging in a bit of nostalgia, Haruo "Mr. Godzilla" Nakajima put the costume back on one last time for a Japanese magazine photo shoot in 1983 (see insert at right). Godzilla's most famous player occasionally appeared "out of character" as an actor in these movies, as well as television shows like ULTRAMAN (episodes 25 and 33). His autobiography, 'Monster Life: Haruo Nakajima, the Original Godzilla Actor' was released in July of 2010. He got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 11th, 2011. His fire-breathing alter ego received his own star in 2004.

With all the potential hazards involved in wearing one of these heavy latex rubber suits (in later years, the designers were able to lighten the load, so to speak), Nakajima co-opted kaiju suit duties with Katsumi Tezuka. As fainting spells and extreme heat proved immense obstacles for suit actors (not to mention painful injuries and near-death experiences), Tezuka was unable to maneuver inside the costume to the degree of Nakajima because of the heaviness of the suit. With Tezuka's assist, this gave Nakajima a well deserved break in between suit-induced fatigue sessions. Tezuka (at far right in above photo) had better success inside the lighter Anguirus (Angilas/Angorus) latex suit in GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (1955). In between his G tenure, Nakajima portrayed other rubber suit kaiju, and even found time to wedge in some small screen giants, too.

As documented in Steve Ryfle's essential book 'Japan's Favorite Mon-star', Nakajima only played the giant lizard for two scenes in SON OF GODZILLA (1967). Since the suit was a larger design than normal, a taller actor, Seiji Onaka, was tapped to play the Big G. However, an accident that left Onaka with a broken hand crushed his turn at playing Godzilla, so Nakajima's kaiju suit colleague, Hiroshi Sekita (above left), took over from there. Both Sekita and Nakajima had done the Tokyo Tango in WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (1966) as Sanda and Gaira respectively. Speaking of which, Nakajima counts WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (1966) as his favorite suit acting role of his career. 

Sekita, yet another athlete and martial artist, played opposite Nakajima's Godzilla and Kong as both Ebirah in GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER (1966), and Mechani-Kong in KING KONG ESCAPES (1967) respectively. Hiroshi Sekita finished out his kaiju career as Anguirus in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968) and one of the giant bat men in LATITUDE ZERO (1969). Nakajima considered him the best of the suit actors assigned to roughhouse with his Godzilla.

Additional suit actors that worked with Haruo Nakajima in assorted Toho monster battles in albeit brief monster suit careers were Shoichi Hirose (above left) and Masaka Minohara (above right). The former is most famous for playing King Kong and King Ghidorah (G3HM). A stunt where both Nakajima and Hirose plummet into the sea while in costume during the ending of KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962) was a near fatal one. Prior to this, Hirose played a Meganulon in RODAN (1956).

Like Hirose, the latter only played monsters on a couple of occasions. Minohara was inside one of the MATANGO (1963) mushroom monster costumes, and portrayed Rodan in MONSTER ZERO (1965). He retired from movies in 1971. Both men played in many of Toho's science fiction and monster pictures as human characters.

Fuminori Ohashi (also went by the name of Sagara Sanshiro) is an unusual participant in Japan's SPX legacy and its celebrated tradition of suitmation. Not only did he perform inside of monster costumes, but he helped design them, too. He's also unique among his colleagues in that he's honed his craft overseas. After opening his own company in 1951, he reportedly worked among the art staff at Disneyland building various props for two years prior to its landmark opening in 1955. In the late 1960s, Ohashi furthered his experience working with Anglo film production crews on YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967) and PLANET OF THE APES (1968). Going back to Japan in 1954, Ohashi helped in the creation of the iconic Godzilla. The following year, he aided in the construction of the Abominable Snowman suit for Toho's banned HALF HUMAN (1955). Not only working on the effects, but artist Ohashi played the part of the monster as well (see insert photo). Going back even further, Fuminori Ohashi had modeled, and played the giant ape in the lost Japanese monster movie, KING KONG APPEARS IN EDO (1938). Unfortunately, Ohashi's last credited work is Toei's atrocious JAWS (1975) clone, LEGEND OF DINOSAURS AND MONSTER BIRDS (1977). He died in 1989.

Ota Ri-ai is special amongst the suit performers in Japanese cinema; special in that it was a rare occasion that a woman played a kaiju in a film. The movie was Shusuke Kaneko's GODZILLA, MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTER ALL-OUT ATTACK (2001). 23 years old at the time, Ota played the role of Baragon, the first of the three Earth monsters to go claw-to-claw with Godzilla. Her height of just under 5ft. was ideal for the role. Prior to her stint in suits, she had work dressed up as characters like Robocon and Sailor Moon at amusement parks and in commercials.

Prior to Ota, TEAM HANDY action team founder Yumi Kameyama portrayed Gyaos in Kaneko's reinvention of the Gamera series with GAMERA: THE GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE (1995). Kameyama is cited as the first time a woman played a giant monster in a daikaiju production.

One of the most bizarre looking Japanese giant monsters ever devised was Garamon; as first seen in the B/W SciFi series ULTRA Q (1966). The creature was played by a little known midget actor named Minoru Takahashi in episodes 13 and 16. At just 3'7" tall, Takahashi was said to have had major difficulties performing underneath the rubber costume. When the character was ported over to ULTRAMAN (1966-1967), his name was changed to Pigmon, and he was shrunk down to human size. A Child actor named Fujita Shuji played Pigmon in episode 8; and eleven year old Masahiro Oyaki (Hiroshi Chiba) got the chance to live out every kids dream when he got to play the monster in episode 37. Appealing with the small-fry set, Pigmon was very popular with children in Japan, and maintains a minor cult following overseas. In later years, Pigmon's popularity was assured upon his revival for later Ultra series.

Another midget monster suit actor was dancer, comedian, Masao Fukasawa (Machan). He was 46 years old when he got the role of Minya (Minira/Minilla) in SON OF GODZILLA (1967). He reprised the role in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968) and GODZILLA'S REVENGE (1969). He appeared as an alien in the 'Assassin from Outer Space' episode of the bizarre SciFi-Mystery series 10-4, 10-10 (1972). It was a reunion of sorts since Ishiro Honda directed the episode. At 65 years of age, he was also among the cast (that included Kenpachiro Satsuma) on the North Korean monster fantasy PULGASARI (1985). There Fukasawa played a baby version of the title creature (see insert). He died in 2000.

HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER

Prior to the 1980s, the molding of Japanese monster suits was anything but simple -- especially for the poor souls who would end up wearing the end result. A hand-made approach was taken in building a better beast from the ground up. For Toho's initial GODZILLA (1954), nothing quite like it had ever been attempted in Japan at that time. Toho was definitely rolling the dice on this story of monster mayhem. The initial designs of Godzilla from Kazuyoshi Abe had a humanoid appearance and were rejected (see above). Monster modeler Toshimitsu Teizo (see left) and art director Akira Watanabe reverted to dinosaur books and articles on prehistory for inspiration. For the mighty monster, an interior frame was made using bamboo and wire. A steel mesh padded with cloth was laid over the frame. Latex was melted and covered over what would eventually take shape as Godzilla. From there, a rubber coating was applied. Depressions were made in the suit where more latex was added to represent Godzilla's mottled, scaly hide. According to Haruo Nakajima, this first suit -- coming in at just 220 pounds -- was nearly impossible to move around in, so a second suit was fashioned. As for that first suit made of molten rubber and metal, it was cut in half -- adding suspenders so that the suit actor could move much easier during shots not requiring the full body. As the 80s dawned, the methods used to build the suits would change. By this time, body part molds were made from wood and wire framed plasters. Each body part was then cast separately in foam, and pieced together afterward. By 1989, the suit building methods became even more advanced with lighter suits making it much easier for actors to coordinate movements inside of them.

Veteran suit maker, Nobuyuki Yasumaru's first job was miniatures on MOTHRA (1961) when he joined Toho in 1961. He apparently made a name for himself in 1967 while working on KING KONG ESCAPES. Dissatisfied with the progress of noted suit maker Ryosaku Takamura's Gorosaurus suit, Yasumaru took over and did one of his own design. His Anguirus suit for DAM (1968) was made of sterner stuff, and supposedly required little to no repair for its reuse in two more G films. When Toshimitsu Teizo left the field in 1971, Yasumaru took over. He remained the molding director till 1991 when his own protege, Tomomi Kobayashi took the mantle. Yasumaru was instrumental in bridging the old style with the new style. For BIOLLANTE (1989), Yasumaru introduced a fearsome new look for Godzilla who now had two rows of sharp chompers and a big moveable tongue. More movements in the head added even greater realism. Upon his retirement in '91, Yasumaru became a sculptor. 

Going back to Godzilla, a few other actors played the King of the Monsters after Haruo Nakajima called it a day in 1972; but there's one man whose popularity mirrored that of his predecessor. Kenpachiro Satsuma took up the mantle left over by Nakajima as Godzilla's heir apparent. He trampled miniature cities, battled monsters, and endured potentially life-ending hazards through seven Godzilla pictures -- eight if you include the 3D amusement park attraction, 'Monster Planet Godzilla'. Despite the obstacles inherent in that line of work, and much like his famous antecedent, Satsuma was extremely passionate about his role. Like many of his contemporaries, he was athletic, and acted in human roles before making the move into the monster suit medium. In the late 60s, he was a Nikkatsu contract actor before moving to Mifune Productions in 1970 where he went under the name Kengo Nakayama. He soon found a home at Toho where his first kaiju role came in the form of Hedorah (sludge) for the giant monster ick-fest, GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971). The new suit actor in town found it incredibly arduous acting under so much latex. According to Satsuma, the Hedorah suit was of a reasonable weight till the effects crew continued adding to it, culminating in a massive costume that weighed in excess of 300 pounds. No doubt Haruo Nakajima (who was underneath the Godzilla suit in this one) could empathize with Satsuma's initial difficulties. This was the first of two times Satsuma dueled with Nakajima, the other being GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972). A little over ten years later, Satsuma's date with destiny occurred when he landed the iconic role for GODZILLA (1984). Despite having experience acting inside a rubber suit, Satsuma found himself overwhelmed by the difficulties inside Noboyuki Yasumaru's suit. Alleging it to be over 245 pounds, by the time the actor accepted the role of Godzilla in GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE in 1989, the suit was a far more reasonable 180 pounds. Kenpachiro Satsuma remained in the Godzilla role till 1995s GODZILLA VS. DESTROYER. He sent the mighty lizard out to sea, retiring from suit acting. It would be a few more years before another suit performer would take on the role of Godzilla.

As for his other credits, Satsuma had background parts in Tsuburaya series in the early 70s. He acted in samurai movies both before, and in between his Showa and Heisei motion picture periods. In 1985, he played the title monster in the North Korean period monster mash, PULGASARI. Just prior to his last role as Godzilla in 1995, he undertook the role of the eight-headed Yamata no Orochi in Toho's fantasy spectacle, YAMATO TAKERU (1994).

Tsutomu Kitagawa (at right; suit maker Shinichi Wakasa at left) is the third generation of Godzilla performers -- Nakajima the Showa; Satsuma the Heisei; and Kitagawa the Millennium Godzilla. A gymnast in high school, the 5'2" martial artist joined Sonny Chiba's JAC (Japan Action Club; it became Japan Action Enterprises in 2001) in the 1970s and was mentored by guys like Kenji Oba (real name Kenji Takahashi) and Junichi Haruta. Kitagawa acted as stuntman in numerous Super Sentai shows (beginning with AKUMAIZER 3 in 1975), and participated in a large number of film productions. It wasn't until the late 90s that Kitagawa began his Toho tenure first as King Ghidorah in 1998s MOTHRA 3: KING GHIDORAH ATTACKS. He then inherited the G crown in 1999s GODZILLA 2000: MILLENNIUM, and wore the much more mobile monster suit for all the Millennium series save for GODZILLA, MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTER ALL-OUT ATTACK (2002).

The small screen had its own industry of suitmation, and actors playing giant monsters and heroic aliens from other galaxies. The most popular of these was undoubtedly ULTRAMAN, the brainchild of the master of Japanese special effects, Eiji Tsuburaya.

TO BE CONCLUDED IN PART 2