History of Mothra Part 3: The Showa Series

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster - Original Japanese Movie Poster

Mothra's return to the big screen took less than one year. This time, she is one of four monsters with the others being Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah. Rodan was another example of Toho getting high on their own supply as the monster had previously appeared in its own film in 1956. The Shobijin also return to serve as Mothra's heralds as they did in previous films. This film is most noted for introducing King Ghidorah who would become Godzilla's arch-nemesis throughout all of the franchise.

Arthropods on World Coins: Italy - 10 Centesimi

Years Issued: 1919 - 1937
Metal: Copper
Weight: 5.4 g
Diameter: 22.5 mm

More info on this coin at Numista, Colnect and on Daniel's Coin Zoo

History of Mothra Part 2: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

The long and sequel-rich Godzilla franchise is generally divided into three series. The first of the these corresponds with Japan's Showa period (1926-1989) and is appropriately known as the Showa series. This period in Toho's Godzilla franchise began with his debut in 1954's Gojira and ended with Terror of Mechagodzilla in 1975, which was the 15th film in the series. Mothra appears early and fairly often in these films and is arguably the most memorable of Godzilla's adversaries during this era.

Mothra vs. Godzilla - Original Japanese Movie Poster

Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Mothra vs. Godzilla was Toho Studios' fourth Godzilla film being immediately preceded by 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla. As with most of Toho's Kaiju films of the era, the film is directed by Ishiro Honda with Eiji Tsuburaya serving as the special effects director, the same duo responsible for the film debuts of both Mothra and Godzilla. This film was the first in which Toho brought in a monster from one of their other productions, a practice that they would continue in many of their following films.

History of Mothra Part 1: Origin and Film Debut

Origin
I can think of no better way to start this blog than with a feature on Mothra. She is one of the most popular movie monsters of all time and arguably the most popular Arthropod to ever appear on film. While most remembered for her fight against Godzilla back in 1964, she actually has a lengthy resume that includes numerous Godzilla movies and even a handful of her own.

Mothra first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura and Yoshie Hotta. Not much is known about this novel other than the fact that it served as the basis of 1961's Mothra. An afternoon of searching the web for this book has led me to believe that no English translation exists and that it is extremely rare. Naturally, I'd be interested in reading the book or at least learning more about it, but I won't get my hopes up as chances seem pretty slim.

Original Japanese Movie Poster

Mothra (1961)
Mothra saw her film debut in 1961 thanks to Toho Studios, the undisputed king of Kaiju (monster) films. The studio was enjoying the success of their Godzilla films and started churning out a steady stream of sequels and other kaiju movies at a pace that would remain strong for decades. Mothra was directed the legendary genre director Ishiro Honda with special effects being handled by Eiji Tsuburaya, both of whom had worked on the original Godzilla film along with many of its sequels.