TOKUSATSU SCULPTOR KEIZO MURASE! Monsters Born in Mizuho 2022!

Keizo Murase's Mothra greets visitors to the Mizuho Local Museum Keyakikan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Just as it did a few years ago, the Mizuho Local Museum Keyakikan is hosting a special exhibition called "Tokusatsu Sculptor Keizo Murase -- Monsters Born in Mizuho 2022." The exhibit features a lot of Murase-san's work, some of which was actually used in tokusatsu films. I visited the exhibit on Wednesday, August 24.

The entrance to the Mizuho Local Museum Keyakikan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Murase-san's 2019 recreation of the 1992 Mothra (from that year's Godzilla vs. Mothra) greets you as you walk in. There are some other odds and ends in the lobby area, such as Mothra's eye and a Mothra larva crawling around the local area, much as she did during her trek to Tokyo in the original 1961 film. 

Keizo Murase hangs out with his friends Booska and Takora. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Most interesting of all was a gallery in which photography was not allowed. It contained the Mighty Peking Man (1977) mask, a bit of Godzilla's skin from the King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) suit, a recreation of Matango (1963) mushrooms, and a recreation of a King Ghidorah head from Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964).

There were also many cool photos from Murase-san's career, making kaiju suits for Toho and Daiei productions. The exhibit is largely the same as the previous one from a few years ago.

Mizuho is way out west, so it took a while to get there. But the trip was well worth it. It's always cool to see such bits of kaiju film history up close, and even the recreations were fun to see. The staff was very friendly, and I had the exhibit all to myself, which was a big bonus for me. 

That's about all I have to say. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking for me. Enjoy!

A Day with Tsuburaya's Script Supervisor!

Atsuko Tanaka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Despite the unpleasant weather (that's Tokyo's rainy season for you), I had another enjoyable visit with former Tsuburaya Productions script supervisor Atsuko Tanaka today. It was a wide-ranging conversation that lasted a few hours.  

Even though it had been about three months since our last visit, it felt like it was almost yesterday. Time sure does fly. Tanaka-san is a very friendly lady, and I look forward to our next visit.

A Bit of Tsuburaya Pro History!

Atsuko Tanaka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Sunday, March 29, I was fortunate to be able to spend an afternoon with former Tsuburaya Productions scripter Atsuko Tanaka. Tanaka-san worked on Ultra Q (1966), Ultraman (1966-67), Ultra Seven (1967-68), The Space Giants (1966-67), and Kaiju Booska (1966-67).

Suffice it to say, I learned a lot, and it was a great time. I hope to have a chance to do it again soon!

ULTRA-HEROES, UNITE! A Great Gathering of Tsuburaya Veterans!

 Director Kazuho Mitsuta (left) and actor Bin Furuya (right). Photo by Brett Homenick.

Following the Masaru Sato concert, I switched gears and joined an event with more of a focus on Tsuburaya Productions. Although there was certainly a Toho connection, this event was, well, Ultra-good! 

Actor Yasuhiko Saijo gives a thumbs-up! Photo by Brett Homenick.

One of the guests on hand was Yasuhiko Saijo, whose best-known role was that of Ippei Togawa on Ultra Q (1966). However, Saijo-san can also be seen in such Toho genre classics as Secret of the Telegian (1960), Gorath (1962), Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965), War of the Gargantuas (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967), and Destroy All Monsters (1968). 

Director Kazuho Mitsuta. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It was my first time to meet veteran Tsuburaya Productions director and producer Kazuho Mitsuta. Mitsuta-san has directed episodes of Ultra Q, Ultraman (1966-67), Ultra Seven (1967-68), Kaiju Booska (1966-67), Mighty Jack (1968), Fight! Mighty Jack (1968), Operation: Mystery! (1968-69), Mirrorman (1971-72), Ultraman Ace (1972-73), Horror Theater Unbalance (1973), Dinosaur War Izenborg (1977-78), and Ultraman 80 (1980-81), among many other credits. 

As you can imagine, it was fun just to hang out...

... until we saw a monster!

Seriously, it was a great time. I enjoyed catching up with Saijo-san. (It had been too long!) Even though Mitsuta-san turns 80 this August, he certainly seemed in great shape to me. In fact, he attended Bin Furuya's birthday celebration in Okinawa, so that ought to tell you something!

To top everything off, Bin Furuya (Ultraman himself) made a surprise visit. It's always a joy to hang out with Furuya-san, so his appearance elevated the proceedings to the next level. Many thanks to everyone for the great evening!

AN AFTERNOON WITH AN ULTRA-VETERAN! Sharing Lunch with Sojiro Uchino!

Former child actor Sojiro Uchino poses with a signed DVD sleeve, featuring his episode of Kaiju Booska. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today I had a pleasant lunch and chat with Sojiro Uchino, a former child actor who has appeared in several Tsuburaya Productions TV series. Uchino-san can be seen in episode 18 of Ultra Q (1966), episode 15 of Ultraman (1966-67), episode 19 of Kaiju Booska (1966-67), and in the film Gamera vs. Viras (a.k.a. Destroy All Planets, 1968). 

We met in Jimbocho, and the conversation covered a lot of ground, including the Gotouchi Kaiju project that Uchino-san is working on with master modeler Hiroshi Sagae. Some big plans are under way, so stay tuned for more details!

As always, it was a blast to catch up with Uchino-san. I look forward to our next lunch together!