Nobuyuki Yasumaru, Legendary Godzilla Suitmaker, Passes Away at Age 87

Nobuyuki Yasumaru in December 2018. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Nobuyuki Yasumaru, the Toho suitmaker who created the Gorosaurus suit for King Kong Escapes (1967) and Godzilla for Godzilla 1985 (1984), passed away on March 1. He was 87.

Teruyoshi Nakano with Nobuyuki Yasumaru in December 2018. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yasumaru-san was born on January 24, 1935, in Toyama Prefecture. He joined Toho in the early 1960s, working on the tokusatsu side of such productions as Mothra (1961), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), and The War of the Gargantuas (1966). Yasumaru-san became a suitmaker in 1967. You can read much more about Yasumaru-san's career in this 2018 interview.

Nobuyuki Yasumaru in November 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was fortunate to have met Yasumaru-san several times over the years. The first time was in November 2016 at a book launch party for Toho SFX crew member Takashi Naganuma. I actually had a previous engagement that day, but, as soon as I heard that Yasumaru-san would be attending, I cancelled those plans so that I could join the party.

In December 2018, I was lucky enough to interview Yasumaru-san at a cafe near his home in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. He gave me a small-press written about his life and career. After that, we exchanged New Year's cards, including this year.

I interviewed Yasumaru-san a second time last September, in which we revisited some topics (like Godzilla vs. Megalon) while covering new ground (The Last Days of Planet Earth). He had so much to say that I was even considering a third interview. Our last meeting in September was a lot of fun. He seemed as healthy as I'd ever seen him, and he was in great spirits. I'm very sorry to hear that he's passed. I will always cherish the memories I have.

RIP, Yasumaru-san.