Daimajin Suit Actor Riki Hashimoto Passes Away at 83

Riki Hashimoto in November 2015. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Former professional baseball player and Daimajin suit actor (in all the Daiei movies from 1966) passed away at the age of 83 on October 11 of lung cancer, just days short of his 84th birthday on October 20. 

Internationally, Hashimoto-san would be best known for going toe-to-toe with Bruce Lee in The Chinese Connection (1972).

I was fortunate enough to meet Hashimoto-san several times since the spring of 2015. He was a kind gentleman with a warm sense of humor. Rest in peace, Hashimoto-san.

UPDATE (10/19): The news media in Japan has picked up the story,

DAIMAJIN RETURNS TO YOKOHAMA! The Giant Stone Idol Is Back!

 Riki Hashimoto talks about his career in Yokohama. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was fortunate to attend a special dinner with Daimajin suit actor Riki Hashimoto on Saturday, August 27. I shared a lot of laughs with Hashimoto-san, thanks in large part to a very patient attendee who helped translate.

It's always great to see Hashimoto-san, and I hope to see him again very soon.

DAIMAJIN STRIKES BACK! Spending an Evening with Actor Riki Hashimoto!

Actor Riki Hashimoto discusses his career at Daiei Studios and beyond. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After getting a private tour of Daiei Studios, our guide Kawahara-san arranged for an impromptu meeting with the legendary Riki Hashimoto. Hashimoto-san is a former professional baseball player who is best known in the West as the actor who played Daimajin in all three of the movies from Daiei Studios. Hashimoto-san went on to play the villainous demon Daimon in Spook Warfare (1968) and a sinister alien in Gamera vs. Viras (a.k.a. Destroy All Planets, 1968). Internationally, Hashimoto-san is best remembered for battling Bruce Lee in The Chinese Connection (1972).

Hashimoto-san was in very good spirits, despite some recent health setbacks. I was told ahead of time that a meeting like this is extremely rare, and that Hashimoto-san was making a special exception for me. Suffice it to say, I was truly honored to have an audience with Daimajin himself.

Early on in our meeting, Hashimoto-san asked the gathered crowd (Kawahara-san and my friends Tanaka-san and Ogawa-san) if they knew which famous international figure was the inspiration for Daimajin's distinguished chin. No one in our group had any idea, but if we're talking about an international figure with a notable chin, I reasoned it must be Kirk Douglas. Hashimoto-san was surprised by my answer and confirmed that Daimajin's chin was indeed based on that of Kirk Douglas! He then proceeded to give me a round of applause, which naturally was pretty incredible.

I got several things signed by Hashimoto-san (including a gift for a friend). Since the meeting was scheduled on short notice, I didn't bring any Daimajin items with me, and we couldn't find any of the DeAgostini Daiamjin releases available at any local bookstore. I did find a copy of Spook Warfare, though, and got the items contained therein signed.

Before leaving, I shook Hashimoto-san's hand and called him a hero. He truly is. I can't thank Kawahara-san and Hashimoto-san enough for making this day possible!