was a Japanese suitmaker, stuntman, sculptor, modeler, and film director. He is particularly well known for his work in giant monster films, including '' Mothra'' (1961), ''

King Kong vs. Godzilla is a 1962 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it is the third film in both the ''Godzilla'' and ''King Kong'' franchises, as well as the first T ...

'' (1962), and '' The Mighty Peking Man'' (1977).

Life and career

Murase was born in Ikeda, Tokachi, Hokkaido, Japan on October 5, 1935. In 1958,

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

hired Murase to sculpt the

Varan is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1958 film '' Varan the Unbelievable'', produced and distributed by Toho. The creature is depicted as a giant, dinosaurian, prehistoric reptile capable of gliding flig ...

suit for ''

Varan the Unbelievable is a 1958 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it stars Kōzō Nomura, Ayumi Sonoda, and Koreya Senda, with Haruo Nakajima as Varan. In the fil ...

.'' An amateur photographer, Murase extensively documented his work which was published in his 2015

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, ''Monster Maker: Keizo Murase''. After working for

Daiei Film Daiei Film Co. Ltd. ( Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, produci ...

on ''

Gamera is a fictional giant monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the Gamera, the Giant Monster, eponymous 1965 Japanese film. The character and the first film were intended to compete with the success of Toho's Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' ...

'', he, Masao Yagi, and Akira Suzuki founded the modelling company, Ex Productions, he later left in 1972 to form his own company, Twenty. Murase died from

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...

of the liver on October 14, 2024, at the age of 89.

Filmography

Film

* '' The H-Man'' (1958) * ''

'' (1958) –

sculptor / Miniature construction * '' Mothra'' (1961) – Mothra imago sculptor * ''

'' (1962) –

King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...

and

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

sculptor * '' Gorath'' (1962) – Maguma sculptor * '' Matango'' (1963) – Matango sculptor * '' Mothra vs. Godzilla'' (1964) – Godzilla sculptor * ''

Dogora is a 1964 Japanese Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Studios, the film stars Yosuke Natsuki, Nobuo Nakamura, Hiroshi Koizumi, and Akiko Wakabayashi, a ...

'' (1964) –

sculptor * '' Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster'' (1964) – Godzilla and King Ghidorah sculptor * '' Frankenstein Conquers the World'' (1965) – Frankenstein and Baragon sculptor * ''

'' (1965) –

sculptor * '' Return of Daimajin'' (1966) –

Daimajin is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' series centering on an eponymous fictitious giant warrior god. It initially consisted of a film trilogy shot simultaneously and released in 1966 with three different directors and predominantly the same crew. The seri ...

sculptor * '' Daimajin Strikes Again'' (1966) – Daimajin sculptor * '' Gamera vs. Gyaos'' (1967) – Gyaos sculptor * '' Yongary, Monster from the Deep'' (1967) – Yonggary sculptor * '' Gamera vs. Viras'' (1968) – Viras sculptor * '' Terror of Mechagodzilla'' (1975) * '' The Mighty Peking Man'' (1977) – Peking Man sculptor * ''

The Seventh Curse ''The Seventh Curse'' is a 1986 Hong Kong action cinema, Hong Kong action horror film directed by Lam Ngai Kai. The film is based on Ni Kuang's novel series ''Dr. Yuen Series''. The film stars Chin Siu-ho as Dr. Yuen Chen-hsieh, and Chow Yun-f ...

'' (1986) * '' Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah'' (1991) – King Ghidorah and Mecha-King Ghidorah sculptor * '' Godzilla vs. Mothra'' (1992) * ''Howl from Beyond the Fog'' (2019) * '' Brush of the God'' (2024) – Director

Television

* ''

Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until ''Kamen Rider Decade, Decade'' and except Thailand), is a Japanese superhero fiction, superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by ...

'' (1971) * '' Ultraman Ace'' (1972) * '' Ike! Greenman'' (TV 1973–1974) – Greenman sculptor

References

External links

* 1935 births 2024 deaths People from Hokkaido Deaths from cirrhosis Japanese visual effects artists {{Japan-film-director-stub