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Gigantis, The Fire Monster
is a 1955 Japanese '' kaiju'' film directed by Motoyoshi Oda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the second film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. The film stars Hiroshi Koizumi, Setsuko Wakayama, Minoru Chiaki, and Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla and Katsumi Tezuka as Anguirus. In the film, Japan struggles to survive Godzilla's return, as well as its destructive battle against its ancient foe Anguirus. Executive producer Iwao Mori instructed producer Tomoyuki Tanaka to immediately commence production on a second ''Godzilla'' film, fearing to lose the momentum of the first film's success. Oda was chosen to direct the film as Ishirō Honda was busy directing '' Lovetide''. ''Godzilla Raids Again'' was released theatrically in Japan on April 24, 1955. A re-edited, English dubbed version was released theatrically in the United States on June 2, 1959, by Warner Bros. Pictures, under the title ''Gigantis, the F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Motoyoshi Oda
was a Japanese filmmaker who directed over 50 films in his career. An English major who graduated from Waseda University in 1935, Motoyoshi Oda was accepted into the directors' program at Tokyo's P.C.L. (Photo Chemical Laboratories, a film company later incorporated into Toho Studios). He studied under director Kajiro Yamamoto, along with future directors Akira Kurosawa, Ishirō Honda, and Senkichi Taniguchi. When the latter two trainees were drafted into WW2, Oda found his career accelerated. He was promoted to director in 1940 with ''Song of Kunya''. Toho kept Oda working as a director of trivial films that had to be made in order to keep product flowing into the theaters, but which offered little time or room for artistic achievement. His most well-known credits are ''Lady from Hell'' (1949), ''Tomei Ningen'' a 1954 Japanese horror inspired by ''The Invisible Man'', a follow-up to his earlier 1954 film ''Ghost Man''. The only film he made ever to be shown outside Japan was t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warner Bros
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Founded in 1923 by four brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, the company established itself as a leader in the American film industry before diversifying into animation, television, and video games and is one of the "Big Five" major American film studios, as well as a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). The company is known for its film studio division the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, which includes Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, the Warner Animation Group, Castle Rock Entertainment, and DC Studios. Among its other assets, stands the television production company Warner Bros. Television Studios. Bugs Bunny, a cartoon character created by Tex Avery, Ben Hardaway, Chuck Jones, Bob Givens and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akira Watanabe (art Director)
was a Japanese special effects art director who worked on 38 films in a career spanning 25 years. Career On April 1, 1929, Watanabe graduating from art school, and joined Shochiku as an assistant director, then transferred to Toho in 1941 upon the recommendation of Eiji Tsuburaya, working on his first film with the company the following year. He left Toho in 1966 after serving as Tsuburaya's art director on ''Invasion of Astro-Monster''. With Japanese Special Effects Productions, which was later called Japanese Special Effects Film Co., Ltd., he directed special effects on '' Gappa: The Triphibian Monster'', Nikkatsu's sole Showa ''kaiju'' film, and the Japanese-American co-production ''The Green Slime''. Partial filmography Special effects art director * ''The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya'' (1942) * ''Lady from Hell'' (1949) *'' Nangoku no hada'' (1952) * ''Godzilla'' (1954) * ''Godzilla Raids Again'' (1955) *''Half Human'' (1955) * '' The Legend of the White Serpen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoshio Tsuchiya
was a Japanese actor who appeared in such films as Toshio Matsumoto's surreal ''Bara No Soretsu'' (a.k.a. ''Funeral Parade of Roses'') and Akira Kurosawa's '' Seven Samurai'' (as the firebrand farmer Rikichi) and ''Red Beard'', and Kihachi Okamoto's ''Kill!''. He had a long-standing interest in UFOs and wrote several books on the subject. He preferred starring in science fiction films, usually as aliens, or people possessed by them, in such films as ''Battle in Outer Space'', '' Monster Zero'', and ''Destroy All Monsters''. Biography Tsuchiya was born in Kofu, Yamanashi in 1927. His film debut was in the 1952 Shintoho film ''Murder Suspect'' (殺人容疑者). During the auditions for Akira Kurosawa's '' Seven Samurai'', Tsuchiya was watching, and was picked by Kurosawa although he originally had no intention of auditioning himself. ''Seven Samurai'' was filmed during the same time as ''Godzilla'', and Tsuchiya would frequently leave the set of ''Seven Samurai'' to see ''God ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masao Shimizu
was a Japanese actor. His wife was actress Yumi Takano. His first starring role in the film was in ''Momoiro no Yuwaku'' in 1931. In 1947, he formed the Mingei Theatre Company. Shimizu often work with Akira Kurosawa. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1931 and 1976. Selected filmography * '' The 47 Ronin'' (1941) * ''No Regrets for Our Youth'' (1946) as Professor Hakozaki * ''A Ball at the Anjo House'' (1947) * ''One Wonderful Sunday'' (1947) as the Dance Hall Manager * ''Drunken Angel'' (1948) as Boss * '' Stray Dog'' (1949) * '' Bōryoku no Machi'' (1950) * ''Scandal'' (1950) as Judge * ''Story of a Beloved Wife'' (1951) * ''The Life of Oharu'' (1952) * ''Children of Hiroshima'' (1952) * ''The Life of Oharu'' (1952) as kikuoji * ''Ikiru'' (1952) as Doctor * ''Epitome'' (1953) * '' Gate of Hell'' (1953) * ''Sansho the Bailiff'' (1954) as Masauji Taira * ''I Live in Fear'' (1955) as Yamazaki, Yoshi's husband * ''Season of the Sun'' (1956) * ''Rusty Knife'' (1958) as Shi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the JSDF cannot be considered a fully-fledged military force. military forces of Japan established in 1954. The self-defence forces consists of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense, with the Prime Minister as commander-in-chief. In recent years, the JSDF has engaged in international peacekeeping operations with the United Nations. Tensions with North Korea have reignited debate over the status of the JSDF and its relationship to Japanese society. Since 2010, the JSDF has refocused from countering the former Soviet Union to the People's Republic of China, also since 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine the JSDF also conside ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Osaka Bay
Osaka Bay (大阪湾 ''Ōsaka-wan'' ) is a bay in western Japan. As an eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea, it is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kii Channel and from the neighbor western part of the Inland Sea by the Akashi Strait. Its western shore is formed by Awaji Island, and its northern and eastern shores are part of the Kansai metropolitan area. Major ports on Osaka Bay include Osaka, Kobe, Nishinomiya, Sakai, Amagasaki, and Hannan. A number of artificial islands have been created in Osaka Bay in past decades, including Kansai International Airport, Kobe Airport, Port Island, and Rokkō Island. In antiquity, Osaka Bay stretched almost to Kyoto, Naniwa, Osaka's oldest settlement, itself a peninsula in the bay. Several islands at the south end of Osaka Bay are part of the Seto Inland Sea National Park. Industries locate around Osaka Bay because there is a skilled and plentiful workforce, many port facilities, efficient linkages (from small to medium to la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 944,320 () and has a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to the northeast. Wakayama is the capital and largest city of Wakayama Prefecture, with other major cities including Tanabe, Hashimoto, and Kinokawa. Wakayama Prefecture is located on the western coast of the Kii Peninsula on the Kii Channel, connecting the Pacific Ocean and Seto Inland Sea, across from Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. History Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii. 1953 flood disaster On July 17–18, 1953, a torrential heavy rain occurred, followed by collapse of levees, river flooding and landslides in a wide area. Many bridges and houses were destroyed. According to an officially confirmed report by the Government of Japan, 1,015 people died, with 5,709 injured ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), ''Iyo-shima'' (), and ''Futana-shima'' (), and its current name refers to the four former provinces that made up the island: Awa, Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo. Geography Shikoku Island, comprising Shikoku and its surrounding islets, covers about and consists of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kōchi, and Tokushima. Across the Seto Inland Sea lie Wakayama, Osaka, Hyōgo, Okayama, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi Prefectures on Honshu. To the west lie Ōita and Miyazaki Prefectures on Kyushu. Shikoku is ranked as the 50th largest island by area in the world. Additionally, it is ranked as the 23rd most populated island in the world, with a population density of 193 inhabitants per square kilometre (500/sq mi). Mountains running east and west d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kii Channel
The , also called the Kii Strait, is a strait separating the Japanese island of Shikoku from the Kii Peninsula on the main island of Honshū. This strait connects the Inland Sea with the Pacific Ocean. The name of the strait derives from Kii Province, a former province on the Kii Peninsula. The strait is surrounded by Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku, Wakayama Prefecture on Honshū, and the southern coast of Awaji Island in Hyōgo Prefecture. It is connected to Osaka Bay via the Kitan Strait and to Harima Nada (the eastern part of the Inland Sea) by the Naruto Strait is a strait between Awaji Island and Shikoku in Japan. It connects Harima Nada, the eastern part of the Inland Sea and the Kii Channel. A famous feature of the strait is the Naruto whirlpools. Ōnaruto Bridge, the southern part of the Kobe-A .... Western maps from the 19th century also refer to this waterway as the Linschoten Strait.Taylor, Bayard. ''Japan, In Our Day''. New York: Scribner, Armstrong, and C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan Air Self-Defense Force
The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warfare. The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining a network of ground and air early-warning radar systems. The branch also has an aerobatic team known as Blue Impulse and has provided air transport in UN peacekeeping missions. The JASDF had an estimated 49,913 personnel as of 2018, and as of 2020 operates about 740 aircraft, approximately 330 of them being fighter aircraft. As of 2020, the JASDF is under increasing pressure to intercept warplanes from China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) close to entering its air space. As of the last fiscal year ending in March 2020, the JASDF scrambled a record 947 times alone against PLAAF warplanes, putting heavy wear and tear on the F-15J. As of 2021 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ankylosaurus
''Ankylosaurus'' is a genus of armored dinosaur. Its fossils have been found in geological formations dating to the very end of the Cretaceous Period, about 68–66 million years ago, in western North America, making it among the last of the non-avian dinosaurs. It was named by Barnum Brown in 1908; it is monotypic, containing only ''A. magniventris''. The generic name means "fused" or "bent lizard", and the specific name means "great belly". A handful of specimens have been excavated to date, but a complete skeleton has not been discovered. Though other members of Ankylosauria are represented by more extensive fossil material, ''Ankylosaurus'' is often considered the archetypal member of its group, despite having some unusual features. Possibly the largest-known ankylosaurid, ''Ankylosaurus'' is estimated to have been between long and to have weighed between . It was quadrupedal, with a broad, robust body. It had a wide, low skull, with two horns pointing backward from the b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
