Nobuyuki Yasumaru in September 2021. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on January 24, 1935, in Toyama Prefecture, Nobuyuki Yasumaru is a creator of miniatures and monster suits who has worked on some of Toho’s most popular kaiju films. Beginning his career with Toho in the early 1960s, Mr. Yasumaru’s credits include Mothra (1961), King Kong … Continue reading A CANDID CONVERSATION WITH GODZILLA’S MAKER! Nobuyuki Yasumaru’s Second Interview on His Incredible Suitmaking Career!
Eiji Tsuburaya
RECOLLECTIONS OF TOHO’S GOD OF CLOUDS! Fuchimu Shimakura on Painting the Studio’s Tokusatsu Backdrops!
Fuchimu Shimakura in January 2021. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on October 5, 1940, Fuchimu Shimakura began working at Toho in the late 1950s, creating or assisting in the creation of tokusatsu backdrops for the Showa era's most notable special effects movies, including Battle in Outer Space (1959), Mothra (1961), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), … Continue reading RECOLLECTIONS OF TOHO’S GOD OF CLOUDS! Fuchimu Shimakura on Painting the Studio’s Tokusatsu Backdrops!
THE GODFATHER OF GODZILLA’S ATOMIC RAY! Sadao Iizuka on His Optical Effects Work at Toho!
Sadao Iizuka in January 2021. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on December 26, 1934, Sadao Iizuka joined Toho Studios in 1954 during the production of the original Godzilla, working as an assistant in the tokusatsu art department. Mr. Iizuka stayed at Toho for many years thereafter, eventually pioneering Toho’s trademark optical effects that would become … Continue reading THE GODFATHER OF GODZILLA’S ATOMIC RAY! Sadao Iizuka on His Optical Effects Work at Toho!
THE MASTERFUL MAKER OF MONSTER BEAMS! Sadao Iizuka on His Early Life and Career at Toho!
Sadao Iizuka in December 2020. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on December 26, 1934, Sadao Iizuka joined Toho Studios in 1954 during the production of the original Godzilla, working as an assistant in the tokusatsu art department. Mr. Iizuka stayed at Toho for many years thereafter, eventually pioneering Toho's trademark optical effects that would become … Continue reading THE MASTERFUL MAKER OF MONSTER BEAMS! Sadao Iizuka on His Early Life and Career at Toho!
THROUGH THE LENS OF TOKUSATSU! Cinematographer Masao Nakabori Goes Behind the Scenes of the Ultra-Series!
Masao Nakabori in September 2019. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on February 12, 1943, in Nippori, Arakawa City, Tokyo, Masao Nakabori joined Tsuburaya Productions in the mid-1960s and became a cinematographer on some of Japanese television's best special effects series. Among his tokusatsu credits are Ultraman (1966-67), Ultra Seven (1967-68), Operation: Mystery! (1968-69), Silver Kamen … Continue reading THROUGH THE LENS OF TOKUSATSU! Cinematographer Masao Nakabori Goes Behind the Scenes of the Ultra-Series!
TOHO’S FAN FAVORITE! Screen Legend Kenji Sahara on His Most Notable Film and Television Tokusatsu Roles!
Kenji Sahara in June 2012. Photo © Brett Homenick. Kenji Sahara (born May 14, 1932) has appeared in more Godzilla films than any other actor. Mr. Sahara appeared in the original Godzilla (1954) in two small roles and went on to star in such popular titles as: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), Mothra vs. Godzilla … Continue reading TOHO’S FAN FAVORITE! Screen Legend Kenji Sahara on His Most Notable Film and Television Tokusatsu Roles!
INSIDE TOHO’S MIGHTIEST MONSTERS! A Candid Conversation with Nobuyuki Yasumaru About His Kaiju Creations!
Nobuyuki Yasumaru in December 2018. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on January 24, 1935, in Toyama Prefecture, Nobuyuki Yasumaru is a creator of miniatures and monster suits who has worked on some of Toho's most popular kaiju films. Beginning his career with Toho in the early 1960s, Mr. Yasumaru's credits include Mothra (1961), King Kong … Continue reading INSIDE TOHO’S MIGHTIEST MONSTERS! A Candid Conversation with Nobuyuki Yasumaru About His Kaiju Creations!
REVISITING JAPAN’S MASTER MONSTER MAKER! Keizo Murase Answers More Questions About Creating Kaiju!
Keizo Murase (with King Ghidorah) in April 2019. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on October 5, 1935, in Ikeda, Tokachi, Hokkaido (where his family home still is), Keizo Murase is a veteran kaiju suitmaker who began his career at Toho in 1958, leaving an indelible mark on the genre with his work on Varan the … Continue reading REVISITING JAPAN’S MASTER MONSTER MAKER! Keizo Murase Answers More Questions About Creating Kaiju!
THE EIGHTH SAMURAI! Shigeo Kato Shares Stories from His Decades-Long Acting Career!
Born on June 16, 1925, in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, actor Shigeo Kato joined Toho in the early 1950s. Early in his acting career, Mr. Kato appeared in brief roles in such cinema classics as Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru (1952) and Seven Samurai (1954), as well as the original Godzilla (1954). Mr. Kato remained a Toho actor … Continue reading THE EIGHTH SAMURAI! Shigeo Kato Shares Stories from His Decades-Long Acting Career!
KEEPING TABS ON ULTRAMAN! Tsuburaya Pro Script Supervisor Atsuko Tanaka Looks Back on Her Tokusatsu Career!
Atsuko Tanaka (born on April 19, 1942) is a script supervisor (a.k.a. scripter) who worked on several of the most successful tokusatsu TV programs of the 1960s. Beginning with Ultra Q (1966) at Tsuburaya Productions, Ms. Tanaka would go on to work in the same capacity on Ultraman (1966-67), Ultra Seven (1967-68), Kaiju Booska (1966-67), and The Space Giants … Continue reading KEEPING TABS ON ULTRAMAN! Tsuburaya Pro Script Supervisor Atsuko Tanaka Looks Back on Her Tokusatsu Career!
Vantage Point Interviews 