Keizō Murase Explained

Keizō Murase
Native Name:	村瀬継蔵
Birth Date:	5 October 1933
Birth Place:	Ikeda, Tokachi, Hokkaido, Japan^[1]
Nationality:	Japanese
Occupation:	Suitmaker, stuntman, sculptor, modeler, film director
Years Active:	1958-present

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

Career

In 1958, Toho hired Murase to sculpt the Varan suit for Varan the Unbelievable.^[2] An amateur photographer, Murase extensively documented his work which was published in his 2015 autobiography, Monster Maker: Keizo Murase.^[3] After working for Daiei Film on Gamera, he, Masao Yagi, and Akira Suzuki founded the modelling company, Ex Productions, he later left in 1972 to form his own company, Twenty.

Filmography

Film

• The H-Man (1958)
• Varan (1958) - Varan sculptor / Miniature construction
• Mothra (1961) - Mothra imago sculptor
• King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) - King Kong and Godzilla sculptor
• Gorath (1962) - Maguma sculptor
• Matango (1963) - Matango sculptor
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) - Godzilla sculptor
• Dogora (1964) - Dogora sculptor
• Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) - Godzilla and King Ghidorah sculptor
• Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965) - Frankenstein and Baragon sculptor
• Gamera (1965) - Gamera sculptor
• Return of Daimajin (1966) - Daimajin 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 (1986)
• Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) - King Ghidorah and Mecha-King Ghidorah sculptor
• Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
• Howl from Beyond the Fog (2019)^[4]
• Brush of the God (2024) - Director^[5]

Television

• Kamen Rider (1971)
• Ultraman Ace (1972)
• Ike! Greenman (TV 1973–1974) - Greenman sculptor

Notes and References

1. Web site: Homenick. Brett. 2018-05-23. MEMORIES OF JAPAN'S MASTER MONSTER MAKER! Keizo Murase Shares the Secrets of the World's Greatest Kaiju!. 2021-11-03. Vantage Point Interviews. en.
2. Web site: 平成25年度メディア芸術情報拠点・コンソーシアム構築事業 日本特撮に関する調査. July 19, 2021.
3. Book: Murase. Keizo. Monster Maker: Keizo Murase - Treasured KAIJU Photobook. Wakasa. Shin'ichi. Yosensha. 4800307562. September 9, 2015. Japanese.
4. Web site: 5 August 2020 . SRS Cinema Acquires North American Rights to New Kaiju Film HOWL FROM BEYOND THE FOG . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210305095241/https://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2020/08/05/srs-cinema-acquires-north-american-rights-to-new-kaiju-film-howl-from-beyond-the-fog/ . 2021-03-05 . SciFi Japan.
5. Web site: 怪獣造形のレジェンド 村瀬継蔵が挑む最初で最後の監督作 劇場用特撮映画『神の筆』制作支援プロジェクト MOTION GALLERY. July 19, 2021. motion-gallery.net. ja.