Keizo Murase, Legendary Kaiju Suitmaker, Passes Away at 89

Keizo Murase in October 2020. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Longtime kaiju suitmaker Keizo Murase passed away on October 14 at 8:21 p.m. at the age of 89. According to news reports, the cause of death was decompensated cirrhosis of the liver. 

Keizo Murase poses with an old friend in April 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Murase-san's credits in the word of tokusatsu as a suitmaker are second to none. But I'll let the master himself tell his own story in my interviews with him, which can be read here and here. Those Q&As tell Murase-san's story better than I possibly could in this blog post.

Keizo Murase in March 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

To the best of my knowledge, I first met Murase-san at an event in May 2013. I subsequently met Murase-san in and around Tokyo numerous times and enjoyed interviewing him at his company more than once.

Keizo Murase chats with kaiju beam animator Sadao Iizuka in March 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While I wasn't as close to him as I was with other Godzilla series alumni (as I recall, we spoke on the phone only once, and I received a New Year's greeting card from his company once or twice), I always enjoyed his friendly presence at the events his attended.

Keizo Murase poses with Ultra-series director Toshihiro Iijima in March 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

When I first interviewed him in April 2018, I remember he essentially showered me with gifts, presenting me with a Cast Co. bromide card set with photos from his career, as well as a copy of his book. It was a gesture I've always remembered and appreciated.

Keizo Murase in March 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After the interview, which was held in Murase-san's workshop way out in Mizuho, Tokyo, I still had to teach a group lesson on the 10th floor of the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building (the same structure Godzilla crashes into after his first encounter with the Super X) that evening. Murase-san, who picked my translator and me from the nearby train station in his car, drove us back to the station when we were finished. Miraculously, I somehow made it to the lesson literally in the nick of time. Had I arrived even a minute later, I would have been late. It still amazes me how perfect the timing was, given the distances (and various modes of transportation) involved. 

Keizo Murase at his workshop in February 2024. Photo by Brett Homenick.

My last encounter with Murase-san was in February of this year, just before I left Japan. I visited his workshop one more time to interview him again about his career. Even after the third interview, I still didn't get to cover all the topics I would have liked, but I was and still am grateful to have had the opportunity. The interview probably won't be published for quite a while (I have a massive backlog), but I look forward to getting it published sometime in the future.

With Keizo Murase in February 2024.

When I visited Murase-san that day, he was riding high on the fact that he had been selected to receive a special award at the Japanese Academy Film Prize on March 8 for his contributions to Japanese cinema. The timing of that award was impeccable, and I'm proud that Murase-san was able to receive such a prestigious accolade in his lifetime.

With Keizo Murase in March 2016.

While we were taking photos after the interview in February, Murase-san grabbed his phone and asked his son to take a picture of the two of us together. I've said it before, but it's always cool when a VIP asks to take a photo with you. 

With Keizo Murase in October 2020.

Murase-san created some of the most fantastic images of my childhood, and it was my privilege that I was able to spend some precious moments in his company. Rest in peace, Murase-san. 

Remembering a Toho Legend at His Final Resting Place

The grave of Sadao Iizuka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

Today (Sunday, March 24, I was invited to join a small group of Sadao Iizuka's fans and friends to pay tribute to his memory at his grave near Chitose-karasuyama Station. This day marked the first anniversary of his passing, so it was an especially momentous occasion.

I was surprised to learn that Iizuka wasn't his birth name. His last name at birth was actually Ikeda (as the grave suggests) but later took the name of his adoptive father, which is how he became Sadao Iizuka. 

The members of our group placed incense sticks in his grave, poured water on top of it, and prayed. It was very moving, and it was my first time to visit a grave and pray in a traditional Japanese way. 

Tokusatsu DNA at the Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro!

Toho tokusatsu props on display at Tokusatsu DNA's pop-up store in Ikebukuro. Photo by Brett Homenick.

From October 26 through November 7, the the Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro will host a Tokusatsu DNA pop-up store on its 8th floor. Naturally, the store features many items that I haven't seen for sale anywhere else. The coolest part of all, however, was seeing a couple of Toho props from the late '90s, namely Shinichi Wakasa's original upper-body Godzilla suit used for underwater shooting in Godzilla 2000 (1999), and Shinichi Wakasa's King Ghidorah neck guignol (puppet) from Rebirth of Mothra III (1998). So, instead of a thousand words, here are almost as many photos -- enjoy!

 

Sadao Iizuka, the Animator of Godzilla's Ray, Passes Away at 88

Sadao Iizuka in May 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

The Anime Tokusatsu Archive Centre (ATAC) has announced today that legendary tokusatsu animator Sadao Iizuka, who animated the beams of Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Ultraman during the 1960s, passed away on March 24 at 9:10 a.m. due to aspiration pneumonia after being hospitalized in January. He was 88. The news was confirmed by Mr. Iizuka's friend and manager Tabata Kei.

Mr. Iizuka was born on December 26, 1934, and went on to join Toho as a part-time employee in 1954 and worked on Godzilla (1954) in the tokusatsu art department. He would also work on the productions of Godzilla Raids Again (1955), Half Human (1955), and Rodan (1956) in similar capacities until being recruited by Eiji Tsuburaya to work on optical effects for The Mysterians (1957).

Sadao Iizuka in February 2018. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Mr. Iizuka would work tirelessly throughout the 1960s on a variety of effects, including the stop-motion animation used in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) and the animation used to depict the fiery birth of King Ghidorah in Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964). 

Sadao Iizuka in December 2021. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Mr. Iizuka's beam effects for Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Ultraman would help define Showa-era tokusatsu, but by the end of the '60s he would go leave Toho and eventually start his own company, Den Film Effect. (Mr. Iizuka's longtime nickname was Den-san.)

Sadao Iizuka with Toho SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano in March 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was privileged to interview Mr. Iizuka twice about his career in his home. It was only intended to be one session, but Mr. Iizuka had so much to say that we scheduled a second session for a couple of weeks later. Those interviews can be found here and here.

Sadao Iizuka draws Godzilla's beam in December 2021. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Mr. Iizuka was certainly outspoken about his true feelings and opinions, rarely holding back when you asked him what he thought about something. That quality made him one of the more endearing guests you would meet at such events.

Sadao Iizuka in between Tsuburaya Productions director Toshihiro Iijima (left) and kaiju suitmaker Keizo Murase in March 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I first met him in August 2015, and he became one of my favorite folks to meet at events. Even then, he was one of the last remaining individuals who had worked on the original Godzilla and had many memories of working with Eiji Tsuburaya.

Sadao Iizuka poses with Toho SFX director Eiichi Asada in December 2022. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Pre-COVID, he always seemed in great health, especially for his age, and that seemed to be the case when I interviewed him in December 2020 and January 2021. However, when I met him again at an event on December 26, 2021, he seemed noticeably more frail. He seemed the same the last time I would ever see him, Christmas Day 2022. He was scheduled to attend another event in January, which was canceled due to his poor health. 

With Sadao Iizuka in December 2022.

Rest in peace, Iizuka-san.

UPDATE: I'd also like to mention that I was proud that this photo I took was used on Mr. Iizuka's official website for years.

It was truly an honor.

Check Out the New Content on Vantage Point Interviews!

With Sadao Iizuka in January 2021.

There is even more new content now available at Vantage Point Interviews.

My second interview with Sadao Iizuka, the animator of Godzilla's atomic ray and King Ghidorah's gravity beams, has just been published. In the interview, Mr. Iizuka talks about animating these kaiju rays, as well as the stop-motion used in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), the origins of Dogora in Dogora the Space Monster (1964), King Ghidorah's birth in Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964), and Minya's smoke rings in Son of Godzilla (1967).

Also available is my conversation with famed voice actor Alan Oppenheimer. Mr. Oppenheimer, the voice of Skeletor, Vanity Smurf, Falkor, and a host of other iconic '80s characters, played the kaiju-minded Dr. Contrare in a comedic scene from Gammera the Invincible (1966). In the interview, he talks not only about Gammera but also about a bevy of other topics regarding his life and career.

Celebrating the Holidays at the Godzilla Store!

Hedorah is in a festive mood at the Godzilla Store. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I paid a visit to the Godzilla Store, and there were quite a few amusing displays. The photos really do speak for themselves, so enjoy!