ALL MONSTERS ATTACK! Godzilla Series Suit Actors Gather to Celebrate the Genre!

Wataru Fukuda (left) and Hurricane Ryu. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, July 23, after taking the new Tokusatsu DNA exhibit at Tokyo Tower, I went to a special event featuring Heisei-era Godzilla series suit actors. The suit actors in question were Wataru Fukuda and Hurricane Ryu.

Wataru Fukuda (left) and Hurricane Ryu. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was especially excited for this event, as I'd never met Fukuda-san before. Since none of the guests was, say, under federal indictment, they were very easy to meet and accessible.

Wataru Fukuda (left) and Hurricane Ryu. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I came to the event a bit late, as I had to work earlier in the afternoon (not to mentioned that I had a peek at the Tokusatsu DNA exhibit). But I arrived in time for all the good stuff.

It was a lot of fun watching Fukuda-san and Ryu-san striking their fight poses. All that was missing was Kenpachiro Satsuma there, too.

Wataru Fukuda. Photo by Brett Homenick.

One thing that impressed me was how polite (and even shy) Fukuda-san. Whenever he made a joke or a reference to something that he felt the audience didn't immediately get, he would usually quietly apologize afterward. Who would have expected such shy behavior from Mechagodzilla? Talk about a gentle giant!

Hurricane Ryu. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I brought my original poster for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) that was gifted to me from the family of one of the cast members for the two suit actors to sign. Their signatures look quite good on it!

Wataru Fukuda. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Fukuda-san played Godzillasaurus in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, and Mogera in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994). He also played Utsuno Ikusagami in Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994). 

One funny story is that Fukuda-san told me that he learned how to spell "Mechagodzilla" in English by remembering that it's spelled like "Metchagodzilla" would sound (i.e., with a "ch" sound instead of a "ck" one). 

Hurricane Ryu. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Hurricane Ryu played King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Battra in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Baby Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, and Godzilla Junior in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), and Guilala in Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008). He also played Kumasogami in Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon.

But that's not all! The weekend was even busier for me than what you've seen so far. But you can read all about it in the next blog post.

Two Toho Suit Actors Raid Again!

 Kenpachiro Satsuma. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Thursday, July 23, I had the opportunity take in a screening of a 35mm print of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), which I've now seen a few times in Japan. It's always been a Heisei film I've enjoyed, and seeing again 25 years after first watching it was certainly nostalgic for me.

Two guests were on hand for the screening: Kenpachiro Satsuma and Hurricane Ryu. I'd imagine Satsuma-san needs no introduction. He played the Heisei-era Godzilla from 1984-1995. He has a well-deserved reputation for fan-friendliness, and this event was no exception.

 Hurricane Ryu. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The other guest was the versatile Hurricane Ryu, another monster suit actor. He played Baby in the day's movie. While not as prolific at events as Satsuma-san, he's another approachable fellow who's happy to meet and mingle.

The event was quite fun, as always. I spent the evening seated across from Satsuma-san, who talked about the difficulty of acting as Hedorah in Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1971), how much he liked playing Gigan, and some of the challenges filming Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).

 It's Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah in real life! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Toward the end of the evening, the two suit actors, who squared off in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) as the titular kaiju, gave us a reenactment.

I'm very glad the event was still held, despite the pandemic. There have been comparatively very few events this year, so you have to take every opportunity you can to experience one.

A HEISEI CELEBRATION! Toho Alums Gather for a Dinner Event!

Suit actor Hurricane Ryu. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

I just returned from a great dinner event with some great people.

First, Hurricane Ryu was on hand as a guest of honor. Ryu-san portrayed  King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Battra in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Baby Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), and Godzilla Junior in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995). Ryu-san also played Kumasogami in Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994) and Guilala in Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008).

Screenwriter Wataru Mimura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The other major guest was Godzilla series screenwriter Wataru Mimura, who penned the scripts for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994), Godzilla 2000 (1999), Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000), Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), and Godzilla: Final Wars (2004).

Hurricane Ryu uses his impressive manga skills to sign copies of his new book. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Of course, it was a wonderful event with much to talk about. Mimura-san talked about writing the script for Mechagodzilla II, which he wrote between January and April of 1993. Despite the obvious references to dinosaurs in the story, there was no influence from Jurassic Park. (The timing is off for there to be any sort of inspiration, anyway.)

Suffice it to say, it was a fun evening...

... and let's do it again soon!

GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH REVISITED! An Evening with Heisei-Era VIPs!

From left to right: Kazuki Hayashitani, Makoto Kamiya, yours truly, Hurricane Ryu, and Kazuki Omori are all smiles. 

I just returned from a fun dinner with several alumni from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), which included director Kazuki Omori, suit actor Hurricane Ryu, assistant director of SFX Makoto Kamiya, and SFX crew member Kazuki Hayashitani.

This was my third evening to have dinner with Kazuki Omori in the last week, and it's always been fun. This time, I spoke to him about working with Izumi Yukimura on Goodbye to the Girls (1987), a film he directed before getting involved with the Godzilla series.

Suit actor Hurricane Ryu poses for a picture. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Hurricane Ryu is a versatile individual whose talent as an illustrator is second to none. But most Godzilla fans would know Hurricane Ryu as the Godzilla series suit actor who played King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Battra in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Baby Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), and Godzilla Junior in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).  Other suit-acting roles include Kumasogami in Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994) and Guilala in Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008). 

I last saw Hurricane Ryu almost a year ago at another event. It was nice to catch up with him again. I signed my King Ghidorah poster (also signed by Omori-san and Ueda-san), as well as my Godzilla vs. Mothra booklet.

SFX director Makoto Kamiya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Makoto Kamiya was assistant director of SFX from Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) through Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, then served in the same capacity on Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) through Gamera 3 (1999). After that, he became SFX director on GMK and Shinji Higuchi's Sinking of Japan (2006). 

To say that Kamiya-san enjoyed the evening would be a massive understatement. He enthusiastically chatted with just about everybody, and he especially seemed to have great chemistry with Hurricane Ryu.

And that's a wrap! It was a great evening, but more will be coming soon. Stay tuned!

MORE PHOTOS! Yasuhiko Saijo's 77th Birthday Bash!

Yasuhiko Saijo and Hurricane Ryu onstage!

A closer look at Saijo-san's extra-special birthday cake!

Hiroko Sakurai and Yashiko Saijo pose for the cameras.

Yours truly with Machiko Naka and Nami Tamura.

With Yasuhiko Saijo.

With Machiko Naka.

Teruyoshi Nakano talks shop with Hurricane Ryu.

With Machiko Naka (again!).

Yasuhiko Saijo at the after-party in Ikebukuro.

Do you think he can drink it all?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YASUHIKO SAIJO! The Ultra Q Star Celebrates His 77th with a Bang!

Nami Tamura, Hiroko Sakurai, Machiko Naka, and Yasuhiko Saijo (all Ultra-series veterans) pose with Saijo-san's birthday cake. Photo by Brett Homenick.

February 20 marks Ultra Q star Yasuhiko Saijo's 77th birthday, and on the very same day, a special event was held on the 58th floor of Sunshine 60 in Ikebukuro to celebrate the occasion. While there are several birthday events throughout the year to honor various Toho/Tsuburaya personalities, they are seldom held on the honoree's actual birthday (as this one was).

Yasuhiko Saijo and SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano sing a karaoke rendition of "We Are Space Pilots" from Gorath. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The event was star-studded, and it was great to see some guests appear who don't often do shows in Japan.

Heisei series suit actor Hurricane Ryu addresses the crowd. Photo by Brett Homenick.

One surprise was seeing suit actor Hurricane Ryu, whom I'd only met once before (at Koichi Kawakita's memorial event at Toho Studios). Hurricane Ryu played King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Battra in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Baby Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), and Godzilla Junior in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995). He also portrayed Guilala in Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008). For much of the event, he actually served as emcee.

Minoru Kawasaki celebrates the birthday of a tokusatsu legend. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Director Minoru Kawasaki was also on hand, and he talked about his fondness for Saijo-san and his role on Ultra Q. Kawasaki-san, of course, is well known for being a huge fan of tokusatsu and for using many actors from the genre in his own films.

Yasuhiko Saijo sports dresses up in character for the occasion! Photo by Brett Homenick.

During the event, there were many chances for mingling among the attendees. Kyoko Ifukube, daughter of Akira Ifukube, was there, and I sat at her table. She was there with several of her friends, and we had a great chat together.

The band gets back together: Yuriko Edogawa (Hiroko Sakurai) and Ippei Togawa (Yasuhiko Saijo) gear up to hunt for monsters! Photo by Brett Homenick.

After all the comments were made, and after everyone had eaten lunch, it was time for pictures and autographs.

In between Machiko Naka (left) and Nami Tamura (right), two Toho actresses who appeared in the Ultra-series.

I had a blast seeing Machiko Naka (Godzilla's Revenge, the Young Guy series) and Nami Tamura (Terror in the Streets, Kill!) again. Naka-san is always very energetic, and Tamura-san is also very friendly. While most fans at the event were largely familiar with them for their guest appearances on Ultra Seven, I'm fascinated by their movie roles at Toho. 

With suit actor Hurricane Ryu.

It was a great surprise to get to see Hurricane Ryu again, but this time I was finally able to get a photo op with him. I found him to be a very friendly fellow, but alas we didn't have much time to chat!

With Yasuhiko Saijo.

What else can I say? Saijo-san is great, and he's one of the friendliest celebrity guests I've ever met. I love his enthusiasm!

With Kyoko Ifukube and a friend.

Naturally, it was also a joy to sit and chat with Kyoko Ifukube, the daughter of the legendary composer.

With Hiroko Sakurai.

Despite being in demand for many picture and autograph requests, Sakurai-san made time to pose for one with me. Thank you very much!

Yasuhiko Saijo, Makoto Inoue, and Teruyoshi Nakano hang out at the after-party. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After the event itself wrapped, I was invited to the after-party at a nearby izakaya. Saijo-san and Nakano-san joined us, as did composer Makoto Inoue. We stayed there a couple of hours (!) before calling it a day.