Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

That was me. Try this.

There's a lost Japanese King Kong film from the 1930s?! Holy toledo, never heard of this.

I thought the original Kong wasn't even shown in Japan till the 40's or (even) early 50's?

Whoa! please share any info you have about this film! i've never heard of it. Or is this another "Star Godzilla"?

thanks!

Here are some comments and corrections:

Eiji Tsuburaya saw KING KONG during its theatrical run in Japan in 1936 -- yes, it was released nationwide (and was not re-released in Japan during the early 1950s; that happened in America, not Japan). American and European films were popular in Japan before World War II, until the Imperial Japanese Government banned the screening of American films.

I wrote the original article that brought the obscure player, Fuminori Ohashi, into the light in English; the article was originally scheduled for "Markalite" #5, but our publisher took the money and ran... we later published the article in Dan Reed's "Kaiju Review" fanzine, and the information was widely circulated... and twisted.

Ohashi was an assistant in the Special Arts Department at Toho, and later helped to develop the lighter foam rubber materials, to make more mobile and less heavy monster suits... Ohashi was a freelancer, though, and bounced between Japan and the US, working for various movie studios... Ohashi may have worked on Daiei's BUDDHA (1961), providing the latex masks for the film, but he does not have the "Special Visual Effects Directed by" title... frankly, he was not that high up on the food chain... he was an artist and a technician, but not a director...

In 1966, he created the first few monsters for THE SPACE GIANTS (Maguma Taishi), as well as the original Ambassador Magma (Goldar) and Goa (Rodak) suits... the rest of the suits were made by other companies... one of the monsters was a revamp of his earlier "Agon" suit for Nippon Radio Pictures' tele-serial KAIJU AGON (1964)... Ohashi only made "Nessie" for MONSTER PRINCE (Kaiju Oji), the rest of the monsters were made by Ryosaku Takayama (Ultraman, Daimajin, Gamera vs. Barugon)...

While Ohashi was indeed involved in the formation of "Nihon Special Effects, Inc.," the founder and president was Toho's former Special Visual Effects Art Director, Akira Watanabe. Films they worked on include GAPPA and THE GREEN SLIME...

What Ohashi did on KING KONG APPEARS IN EDO* (Kingukongu Oedo-ni Arawaru), was make the "Kong" suit, and play the creature... according to the man himself... while the film is lost, I'd also like to see the creatures in earlier Japanese films that were "inspired" by Universal's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1924)...

*Edo, or Oedo, is the old name of Tokyo, when Japan's capital was moved from Kyoto, during the reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868). The rise of the new capital was known as the "Edo Period" (1603-1867).[/i]

You're welcome!

These films you are asking about are lost, and all we have left are titles and credits... the PHANTOM take-off was THE PHANTOM OF NANBAN TEMPLE (1925 or 1926, I'd have to look at my notes)... there were two HUNCBACK variations made in 1950s (remakes of an earlier silent film, which is also lost)... there are a lot of supernatural creatures in post-war Japanese films... dozens of female Werecats (Bakeneko), a dragon or two (NINJITSU JIRAIYA; Shintoho, 1955 and THE BEAUTY AND THE DRAGON; Daiei, 1955), and all manner of bizarre creatures big and small (THE INVISIBLE MAN MEETS THE FLY MAN; Daiei, 1957)... and don't get me started on the sleazy pleasures of THE BLOOD DRINKING BRIDE (Shintoho, 1960)...

And that's just the tip of the iceberg...