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|type2            =Black
|type2            =Black
|name            =Ishiro Honda
|name            =Ishiro Honda
|image            =Ishiro Honda directing -Eagle of the Pacific-.jpg
|image            =IshiroHondalateyears.jpg
|caption          =Ishiro Honda directing Eagle of the Pacific
|caption          =Ishiro Honda in his later years
|occupation      =[[:Category:Directors|Director]], [[:Category:Writers|writer]], editor
|occupation      =[[:Category:Directors|Director]], [[:Category:Writers|writer]], editor
|birthday        =May 7, 1911
|birthday        =May 7, [[1911]]
|death            =February 28, 1993
|birthplace      =[[wikipedia:Asahi, Yamagata (Higashitagawa)|Asahi, Yamagata]], [[Japan]]{{sfn|Honda|Yamamoto|Masuda|2010|p=250}}
|birthplace       =[[wikipedia:Yamagata Prefecture|Yamagata Prefecture]], [[Japan]]
|death            =February 28, [[1993]] (aged 81)
|first            =''[[wikipedia:Chocolate and Soldiers|Chocolate and Soldiers]]'' (1938)
|deathplace       =[[wikipedia:Setagaya|Setagaya, Tokyo]], [[Japan]]{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=44}}
|first            =''The Elderly Commoner's Life Study'' (1934){{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=13}}
|notable          =''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1954)
|notable          =''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1954)
|imdb            =http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0393094/
|imdb            =http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0393094/
|wikipedia       =https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishir%C5%8D_Honda
|wikipedia-en    =https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishir%C5%8D_Honda
|height=1.8 m.}}
|wikipedia-ja    =https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/本多猪四郎
{{Quote|Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself. After several stories such as this, people end up having a kind of affection for the monsters. They end up caring about them.|Ishiro Honda, speaking of his film, ''[[Rodan (film)|Rodan]]''}}
}}
'''Ishiro Honda''' {{Nihongo|本多 猪四郎|Honda Ishirō}} was a [[Japan]]ese film director and screenwriter. He is most famous for directing eight [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]] movies, including the [[Godzilla (1954 film)|original 1954 film]], as well as other [[Toho]] [[kaiju]] films such as ''[[Rodan (film)|Rodan]]'' and ''[[The Mysterians]]''. He was often miscredited in foreign releases of his films as '''Inoshiro Honda''', a misreading of the kanji in his Japanese name.
{{Quote|Monsters are tragic beings. They’re not bad [willingly]. They’re born too tall, too strong, too heavy; that’s their tragedy. They don’t attack [mankind] voluntarily, but because of their physical dimensions they cause danger and grief; therefore man defends himself against them. After several stories of this type, the public finds sympathy for the monsters.|Ishiro Honda, speaking of his film ''[[Rodan (film)|Rodan]]''}}
{{Quote|Whether for good or bad, Godzilla decided the course of my life.|Honda on the impact ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' had on his career}}
'''Ishiro Honda''' {{Nihongo|{{tt|本多|Sometimes erroneously spelled 本田}} {{ruby|猪|い}}{{ruby|四|し}}{{ruby|郎|ろう}}|Honda Ishirō}}, frequently miscredited as '''Inoshiro Honda''' {{Nihongo|本多 {{ruby|猪|いの}}{{ruby|四|し}}{{ruby|郎|ろう}}|Honda Inoshirō}}, was a [[Japan]]ese film director and screenwriter. He is most famous for directing eight ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' movies, including the [[Godzilla (1954 film)|1954 original]], as well as other [[Toho]] [[kaiju]] films such as ''[[Rodan (film)|Rodan]]'' and ''[[The Mysterians]]''.
{{TOC}}
{{TOC}}
==Biography==
==Biography==
Ishiro Honda is probably best known for the many science fiction films which he directed for [[Toho]], including eight entries in the [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla series]]. He directed the [[Godzilla (1954 film)|original ''Godzilla'']] along with ''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]'', ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'', ''[[All Monsters Attack]]'' and many others throughout the 1950's and 1960's. He also directed other [[tokusatsu]] films for Toho such as ''[[Rodan (film)|Rodan]]'' and ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' during this time. Aside from the original ''Godzilla'', the 1963 cult horror film ''[[Matango (film)|Matango]]'' is widely considered Honda's greatest work. Honda was a frequent collaborator of legendary director of special effects [[Eiji Tsuburaya]], who directed or received credit for the effects for all of Honda's kaiju films until he passed away in 1970. Due to Tsuburaya's failing health during filming for ''All Monsters Attack'', Honda directed the film's special effects sequences himself with assistance from [[Teruyoshi Nakano]], with Tsuburaya still receiving honorary credit as the film's special effects supervisor.
Ishiro Honda is probably best known for the many science fiction films which he directed for [[Toho]], including eight entries in the [[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'' series]]. He directed the [[Godzilla (1954 film)|original ''Godzilla'']] along with ''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]'', ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'', ''[[All Monsters Attack]]'' and many others throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He also directed other [[tokusatsu]] films for Toho such as ''[[Rodan (film)|Rodan]]'' and ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' during this time. Aside from the original ''Godzilla'', the 1963 cult horror film ''[[Matango (film)|Matango]]'' is widely considered Honda's greatest work. Honda was a frequent collaborator of the legendary special effects director [[Eiji Tsuburaya]], who directed or received credit for the effects for all of Honda's kaiju films until he passed away in 1970. Due to Tsuburaya's failing health during filming for ''All Monsters Attack'', Honda directed the film's special effects sequences himself with assistance from [[Teruyoshi Nakano]], with Tsuburaya still receiving honorary credit as the film's special effects supervisor.


After directing the kaiju film ''[[Space Amoeba]]'' in 1970, Honda spent the following years directing episodes of various sci-fi TV shows. Episodes of the superhero shows ''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Return of Ultraman|The Return of Ultraman]]'', ''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Mirrorman (series)|Mirrorman]]'' and ''[[Zone Fighter (series)|Zone Fighter]]'' were directed by Honda. Honda also served as the editor for the reissues of films that were screened during the Toho Champion Festival in the early 1970's. His final feature film came with 1975's ''[[Terror of Mechagodzilla]]'', which would also prove to be the final entry in the original [[Showa era|Showa series]] of Godzilla films.
After directing the kaiju film ''[[Space Amoeba]]'' in 1970, Honda spent the following years directing episodes of various sci-fi TV shows. Episodes of the superhero shows ''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Return of Ultraman|Return of Ultraman]]'', ''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Mirrorman (series)|Mirror Man]]'' and ''[[Zone Fighter (series)|Zone Fighter]]'' were directed by Honda. Honda also served as the editor for the reissues of films that were screened during the Toho Champion Festival in the early 1970s. His final feature film came with 1975's ''[[Terror of Mechagodzilla]]'', which would also prove to be the final entry in the original [[Showa era|Showa series]] of Godzilla films.


At the end of his career, Honda returned to working as an assistant director for his old friend, legendary director [[wikipedia:Akira Kurosawa|Akira Kurosawa]]. Allegedly one segment of the Kurosawa film, [[wikipedia:Dreams (1990 film)|''Dreams'']], was actually directed by Honda following Kurosawa's detailed storyboards.
At the end of his career, Honda returned to working as an assistant director for his old friend, legendary director [[wikipedia:Akira Kurosawa|Akira Kurosawa]]. It is sometimes alleged that Honda directed one of the segments of the 1990 Kurosawa film [[wikipedia:Dreams (1990 film)|''Dreams'']], "The Tunnel," in which a company commander faces the ghosts of his platoon after World War II. This has not been proven; however, Honda's wife Kimi was convinced that his nightmares inspired the segment.{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=287}}
==Selected filmography==
==Selected filmography==
*''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1954) - Director / writer [with [[Takeo Murata]]]
===Director===
*''[[Half Human]]'' (1955) - Director
*''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1954)
*''[[Rodan (film)|Rodan]]'' (1956) - Director
*''[[Half Human]]'' (1955)
*''[[The Mysterians]]'' (1957) - Director
*''[[Rodan (film)|Rodan]]'' (1956)
*''[[The H-Man|H-Man]]'' (1958) - Director
*''[[The Mysterians]]'' (1957)
*''[[Varan (film)|Varan]]'' (1958) - Director
*''[[The H-Man]]'' (1958)
*''[[Battle in Outer Space]]'' (1959) - Director
*''[[Varan (film)|Varan]]'' (1958)
*''[[The Human Vapor]]'' (1960) - Director
*''[[wikipedia:Sampo (film)|Sampo]]'' (1959) [1962 Japanese dub]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=194}}
*''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' (1961) - Director / editor [1974 Champion Festival reissue]
*''[[Battle in Outer Space]]'' (1959)
*''[[Gorath (film)|Gorath]]'' (1962) - Director
*''[[The Human Vapor]]'' (1960)
*''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]'' (1962) - Director / editor [1970 Champion Festival reissue]
*''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' (1961)
*''[[Matango (film)|Matango]]'' (1963) - Director
*''[[Gorath (film)|Gorath]]'' (1962)
*''[[Atragon (film)|Atragon]]'' (1963) - Director
*''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]'' (1962)
*''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' (1964) - Director / editor [1970 Champion Festival reissue]
*''[[Matango (film)|Matango]]'' (1963)
*''[[Dogora (film)|Dogora]]'' (1964) - Director
*''[[Atragon]]'' (1963)
*''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' (1964) - Director / editor [1970 Champion Festival reissue]
*''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' (1964)
*''[[Frankenstein vs. Baragon]]'' (1965) - Director
*''[[Dogora (film)|Dogora]]'' (1964)
*''[[Invasion of Astro-Monster]]'' (1965) - Director / editor [1971 Champion Festival reissue]
*''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' (1964)
*''[[The War of the Gargantuas]]'' (1966) - Director / writer [with [[Kaoru Mabuchi|Takeshi Kimura]]]
*''[[Frankenstein vs. Baragon]]'' (1965)
*''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'' (1966) - Editor [1972 Champion Festival reissue]
*''[[Invasion of Astro-Monster]]'' (1965)
*''[[King Kong Escapes]]'' (1967) - Director
*''[[The War of the Gargantuas]]'' (1966)
*''[[Son of Godzilla]]'' (1967) - Editor [1973 Champion Festival reissue]
*''[[King Kong Escapes]]'' (1967)
*''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'' (1968) - Director / writer [with Takeshi Kimura] / editor [1972 Champion Festival reissue]
*''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'' (1968)
*''[[Latitude Zero]]'' (1969) - Director
*''[[Latitude Zero]]'' (1969)
*''[[All Monsters Attack]]'' (1969) - Director / director of special effects [uncredited]
*''[[All Monsters Attack]]'' (1969)
*''[[Space Amoeba]]'' (1970) - Director
*''[[Space Amoeba]]'' (1970)
*''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Return of Ultraman|The Return of Ultraman]]'' (TV 1970-1971) - Director [episodes 1-2, 7, 9, 51]
*''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Return of Ultraman|Return of Ultraman]]'' (TV 1970-1971) [episodes 1-2, 7, 9, 51]
*''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Mirrorman|Mirrorman]]'' (TV 1971-1972) - Director [episodes 1-2]
*''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Mirrorman|Mirror Man]]'' (TV 1971-1972) [episodes 1-2]
*''[[Zone Fighter (series)|Zone Fighter]]'' (TV 1973) - Director [episodes 3-4, 12-13, 18-19, 23-24]
*''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Emergency Directive 10-4·10-10|Emergency 10-4, 10-10]]'' (TV 1972) [episodes 5-6, 20-21]
*''[[Terror of Mechagodzilla]]'' (1975) - Director
*''[[wikia:w:c:tokusatsu:Thunder Mask|Thunder Mask]]'' (TV 1972) [episodes 1-2, 4-5, 14-15]
===Interviewee===
*''[[Zone Fighter (series)|Zone Fighter]]'' (TV 1973) [episodes 3-4, 12-13, 18-19, 23-24]
*''[[Toho Unused Special Effects Complete Collection]]'' (1986)
*''[[Terror of Mechagodzilla]]'' (1975)
 
====Unproduced works====
== Gallery ==
*''Space Mons'' (1962) [became ''[[Dogora (film)|Dogora]]'']<ref name="Space Mons">{{cite web|url=https://www.tohokingdom.com/cutting_room/space_mons.html|title=Lost Project: Space Mons|work=Toho Kingdom|accessdate=27 December 2021}}</ref>
<gallery>
*''The Flying Battleship'' (1966)<ref name="Terror">{{cite book|title=Terror of the Lost Tokusatsu Films: From the Files of The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies|edition=1|last=LeMay|first=John|date=2018|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform|isbn=1718974396}}</ref>
File:Honda and Eiji.jpg|Honda with [[Eiji Tsuburaya]]
*''Daimajin'' (1984){{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|pp=285-286}}
File:Honda Ishiro.jpg
*''New Godzilla'' (1992)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.goo.ne.jp/dotter_m/e/b950f0ee4385b35757399debd179d532|title=シン・ゴジラ、着想の原点？|author=dotter_M|date=31 December 2017|work=goo blog}}</ref>
File:Honda and Serizawa.png|Honda (right) with [[Akihiko Hirata]] (left)  
===Screenwriter===
File:Ishiro Honda and Godzilla.jpg|Honda with a [[ShodaiGoji|Godzilla]] puppet
*''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1954) [with [[Takeo Murata]]]
File:Honda1.jpg
*''[[The War of the Gargantuas]]'' (1966) [with [[Kaoru Mabuchi]]]
File:Snowman with Ishiro Honda.jpg|Honda directing on set for [[Half Human|''Half Human'']]
*''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'' (1968) [with Kaoru Mabuchi]
File:Ishiro Honda directing on set.jpeg|Honda directing on set for [[King Kong vs. Godzilla|''King Kong vs. Godzilla'']]
===Editor===
File:IOAM.jpg|Honda with [[Kumi Mizuno]]
*''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]'' (1970) {{nw|[}}[[Toho Champion Festival]] reissue; uncredited]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=257}}
*''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' (1970) [Toho Champion Festival reissue; uncredited]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=263}}
*''[[Invasion of Astro-Monster|The Great Monster War: King Ghidorah vs. Godzilla]]'' (1971) [uncredited]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=263}}
*''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster|Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: The Greatest Battle on Earth]]'' (1971) [uncredited]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=263}}
*''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'' (1972) [Toho Champion Festival reissue; uncredited]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=263}}
*''[[Destroy All Monsters|Godzilla: The Great Blitz Operation]]'' (1972) [uncredited]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=263}}
*''[[Son of Godzilla]]'' (1973) [Toho Champion Festival reissue; uncredited]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=263}}
*''[[King Kong Escapes]]'' (1973) [Toho Champion Festival reissue; uncredited]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=263}}
*''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' (1974) [Toho Champion Festival reissue; uncredited]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=263}}
*''[[Latitude Zero|The Great Undersea War: Latitude Zero]]'' (1974) [uncredited]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=263}}
*''[[The Mysterians]]'' (1978) [Toho Champion Festival reissue; uncredited]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=263}}
===Actor===
*''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1954) as power station worker [uncredited]
*''[[Toho Unused Special Effects Complete Collection]]'' (1986) as himself, interviewee
*''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' (1996) [photo; posthumous]
===Miscellaneous===
*''[[All Monsters Attack]]'' (1969) - Director of special effects [uncredited; with [[Teruyoshi Nakano]]]
==Gallery==
<gallery widths="120" position="center" captionalign="center" spacing="small">
Ishiro Honda directing -Eagle of the Pacific-.jpg|Honda directing ''Eagle of the Pacific''
Honda and Serizawa.png|Honda (right) with [[Akihiko Hirata]] (left)
Honda and Eiji.jpg|Honda with [[Eiji Tsuburaya]]
Honda Ishiro.jpg
Ishiro Honda and Godzilla.jpg|Honda with a [[ShodaiGoji|Godzilla]] puppet
Honda1.jpg
Snowman with Ishiro Honda.jpg|Honda directing on set for [[Half Human|''Half Human'']]
Ishiro-honda3.jpg
Ishiro Honda directing on set.jpeg|Honda directing on set for [[King Kong vs. Godzilla|''King Kong vs. Godzilla'']]
IOAM.jpg|Honda with [[Kumi Mizuno]]
Images3.jpg
Images4.jpg
Pichon.gif
6c24b5a873424e37bf991d1e154e3c9e.jpg|Honda (right) with Akira Kurosawa (left)
L62r4dtpztg51.jpg|Honda with Martin Scorsese on location for Akira Kurosawa's ''Dreams''
Ishiro Honda ROM cameo.jpg|Honda's cameo in ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]''
</gallery>
</gallery>
 
==Videos==
{{Videos|
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">0JLU8wezI-Q</youtube>|Ishiro Honda filming ''[[wikipedia:Ran (film)|Ran]]''}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">mI2RaQVNTds</youtube>|[[Yoshimitsu Banno]] interviews<br>Ishiro Honda in 1990}}
}}
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Ishiro Honda visited the set of several [[Heisei era|Heisei]] [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]] films before his death in 1993, and despite [[Godzilla misconceptions#Was Ishiro Honda going to direct Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II?|rumors that he was slated to direct]] ''[[Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II]]'', Honda expressed no interest in returning to the series, content with his work on Akira Kurosawa's films.<ref name="Kalat">{{cite book|title=A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series|author=David Kalat |date=1997|publisher=McFarland|page=216}}</ref>
*Ishiro Honda visited the set of several [[Heisei era|Heisei]] [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]] films before his death in 1993, and despite [[Godzilla misconceptions#Was Ishiro Honda going to direct Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II?|rumors that he was slated to direct]] ''[[Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II]]'', Honda expressed no interest in returning to the series, content with his work on Akira Kurosawa's films.{{sfn|Kalat|1997|p=216}}
*Honda stated in an interview conducted only months before his death that his favorite film he worked on was ''[[The Mysterians]]''.<ref>[http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/honda.htm Ishiro Honda Interview]</ref>
*Honda stated in an interview conducted only months before his death that his favorite film he worked on was ''[[The Mysterians]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/honda.htm|title=Ishiro Honda Interview|author=Milner, David|work=Kaiju Conversations|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203737/http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/honda.htm|archivedate=24 June 2021}}</ref>
*Dr. [[Ishiro Serizawa]], a character in ''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'' (2014) and ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'', is named after Honda. In the [[Godzilla (June 2012 screenplay)|June 2012]] revision of the ''Godzilla'' script, he was called "Doctor Honda."
*Dr. [[Ishiro Serizawa]], a character in ''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'' (2014) and ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'', is named after Honda. In the [[Godzilla (June 2012 screenplay)|June 2012]] revision of the ''Godzilla'' script, he was called "Doctor Honda."
*A fictionalized version of Honda appears in the fifth episode of the fourth season of the TV series ''[[wikipedia:Legends of Tomorrow|Legends of Tomorrow]]'', played by Eijiro Ozaki.
*A fictionalized version of Honda appears in the fifth episode of the fourth season of the TV series ''[[wikipedia:Legends of Tomorrow|DC's Legends of Tomorrow]]'', played by [[wikipedia:Eijiro Ozaki|Eijiro Ozaki]].
*''[[wikipedia:Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'' writer [[wikipedia:Henry Gilroy|Henry Gilroy]] named the pirate [[w:c:wookieepedia:Hondo Ohnaka|Hondo Ohnaka]] after Ishiro Honda and actor [[Seiji Onaka]]. His first name was originally "Honda" until [[wikipedia:George Lucas|George Lucas]] intervened.<ref name="TWT">{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/HGilroy67/status/1257498683236421637|title="#CloneWars fun fact! How'd Hondo Ohnaka get his name? I named him after original #Godzilla Director Ishiro Honda & Godzilla actor Seiji Onaka. Onaka also means "stomach" in Japanese & Hondo was always hungry! At the last minute George Lucas changed Honda to Hondo. #MayThe4th"|author=Gilroy, Henry|date=4 May 2020|work=Twitter}}</ref>
*''[[wikipedia:Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'' writer [[wikipedia:Henry Gilroy|Henry Gilroy]] named the pirate [[w:c:wookieepedia:Hondo Ohnaka|Hondo Ohnaka]] after Ishiro Honda and actor [[Seiji Onaka]]. His first name was originally "Honda" until [[wikipedia:George Lucas|George Lucas]] intervened.<ref name="TWT">{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/HGilroy67/status/1257498683236421637|title="#CloneWars fun fact! How'd Hondo Ohnaka get his name? I named him after original #Godzilla Director Ishiro Honda & Godzilla actor Seiji Onaka. Onaka also means "stomach" in Japanese & Hondo was always hungry! At the last minute George Lucas changed Honda to Hondo. #MayThe4th"|author=Gilroy, Henry|date=4 May 2020|work=Twitter}}</ref>
==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.japanesegiants.com/honda/index.html Official site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081211182727/http://www.japanesegiants.com/honda/index.html Official site (archived)]
*[https://31fb9f38.viewer.kintoneapp.com/public/0a3f41a74b8bb9e879c82e5240035410e01df4c27f0dfc1d2ef44495962b1f44#/1/additionalFilters/%255B%257B%2522with%2522:%2522and%2522,%2522filters%2522:%255B%257B%2522with%2522:%2522or%2522,%2522field%2522:%2522%25E4%25BA%25BA%25E5%2590%258D%2522,%2522sign%2522:%2522like%2522,%2522value%2522:%2522%25E6%259C%25AC%25E5%25A4%259A%25E7%258C%25AA%25E5%259B%259B%25E9%2583%258E%2522%257D%255D%257D%255D Ishiro Honda's filmography on the official Toho website]
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Real People}}
===Bibliography===
{{Godzilla 1954}}
*{{cite book|last1=Honda|first1=Ishiro|last2=Yamamoto|first2=Shingo|last3=Masuda|first3=Yoshikazu|title=Godzilla and My Movie Life|edition=paperback|date=8 December 2010|publisher=Wanibooks|isbn=978-4847060274}}
*{{cite book|last=Ryfle|first=Steve|authorlink=Steve Ryfle|title=[[Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G"]]|publisher=ECW Press|date=December 1998|isbn=1550223488}}
*{{cite book|last1=Ryfle|first1=Steve|author-link1=Steve Ryfle|last2=Godziszewski|first2=Ed|author-link2=Ed Godziszewski|title=[[Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa]]|date=3 October 2017|publisher=Wesleyan University Press|isbn=978-0819577412|ref={{harvid|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017}}}}
*{{cite book|last=Kalat|first=David|title=A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series|date=1997|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|isbn=978-0786403004}}
{{Real People|tab=Director}}
{{Comments}}
{{Comments}}
{{Era|REL}}
{{Era|REL}}
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[[Category:Writers]]
[[Category:Writers]]
[[Category:Godzilla special effects directors]]
[[Category:Godzilla special effects directors]]
[[Category:Godzilla writers]]

Latest revision as of 19:20, 11 August 2023

Ishiro Honda
Ishiro Honda in his later years
Born May 7, 1911
Asahi, Yamagata, Japan[1]
Died February 28, 1993 (aged 81)
Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan[2]
Occupation Director, writer, editor
First work The Elderly Commoner's Life Study (1934)[3]
Notable work Godzilla (1954)
Imdb.pngWp EN.pngWp JA.png
“
Monsters are tragic beings. They’re not bad [willingly]. They’re born too tall, too strong, too heavy; that’s their tragedy. They don’t attack [mankind] voluntarily, but because of their physical dimensions they cause danger and grief; therefore man defends himself against them. After several stories of this type, the public finds sympathy for the monsters.
„ 

— Ishiro Honda, speaking of his film Rodan
“
Whether for good or bad, Godzilla decided the course of my life.
„ 

— Honda on the impact Godzilla had on his career

Ishiro Honda (本多 猪 (い)四 (し)郎 (ろう),   Honda Ishirō), frequently miscredited as Inoshiro Honda (本多 猪 (いの)四 (し)郎 (ろう),   Honda Inoshirō), was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He is most famous for directing eight Godzilla movies, including the 1954 original, as well as other Toho kaiju films such as Rodan and The Mysterians.

Biography

Ishiro Honda is probably best known for the many science fiction films which he directed for Toho, including eight entries in the Godzilla series. He directed the original Godzilla along with King Kong vs. Godzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla, All Monsters Attack and many others throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He also directed other tokusatsu films for Toho such as Rodan and Mothra during this time. Aside from the original Godzilla, the 1963 cult horror film Matango is widely considered Honda's greatest work. Honda was a frequent collaborator of the legendary special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, who directed or received credit for the effects for all of Honda's kaiju films until he passed away in 1970. Due to Tsuburaya's failing health during filming for All Monsters Attack, Honda directed the film's special effects sequences himself with assistance from Teruyoshi Nakano, with Tsuburaya still receiving honorary credit as the film's special effects supervisor.

After directing the kaiju film Space Amoeba in 1970, Honda spent the following years directing episodes of various sci-fi TV shows. Episodes of the superhero shows Return of Ultraman, Mirror Man and Zone Fighter were directed by Honda. Honda also served as the editor for the reissues of films that were screened during the Toho Champion Festival in the early 1970s. His final feature film came with 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla, which would also prove to be the final entry in the original Showa series of Godzilla films.

At the end of his career, Honda returned to working as an assistant director for his old friend, legendary director Akira Kurosawa. It is sometimes alleged that Honda directed one of the segments of the 1990 Kurosawa film Dreams, "The Tunnel," in which a company commander faces the ghosts of his platoon after World War II. This has not been proven; however, Honda's wife Kimi was convinced that his nightmares inspired the segment.[4]

Selected filmography

Director

Unproduced works

  • Space Mons (1962) [became Dogora][6]
  • The Flying Battleship (1966)[7]
  • Daimajin (1984)[8]
  • New Godzilla (1992)[9]

Screenwriter

Editor

Actor

Miscellaneous

Gallery

Videos

Ishiro Honda filming Ran
Yoshimitsu Banno interviews
Ishiro Honda in 1990

Trivia

External links

References

This is a list of references for Ishiro Honda. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. ↑ Honda, Yamamoto & Masuda 2010, p. 250.
  2. ↑ Ryfle 1998, p. 44.
  3. ↑ Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017, p. 13.
  4. ↑ Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017, p. 287.
  5. ↑ Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017, p. 194.
  6. ↑ "Lost Project: Space Mons". Toho Kingdom. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  7. ↑ LeMay, John (2018). Terror of the Lost Tokusatsu Films: From the Files of The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies (1 ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 1718974396.
  8. ↑ Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017, pp. 285-286.
  9. ↑ dotter_M (31 December 2017). "シン・ゴジラ、着想の原点？". goo blog.
  10. ↑ Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017, p. 257.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 11.9 Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017, p. 263.
  12. ↑ Kalat 1997, p. 216.
  13. ↑ Milner, David. "Ishiro Honda Interview". Kaiju Conversations. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021.
  14. ↑ Gilroy, Henry (4 May 2020). ""#CloneWars fun fact! How'd Hondo Ohnaka get his name? I named him after original #Godzilla Director Ishiro Honda & Godzilla actor Seiji Onaka. Onaka also means "stomach" in Japanese & Hondo was always hungry! At the last minute George Lucas changed Honda to Hondo. #MayThe4th"". Twitter.

Bibliography

Staff members
 
Directors
Drama directors
Adam Wingard • Daisuke Sato • Ernest Schoedsack • Eugène Lourié • Gareth Edwards • Hideaki Anno • Hirochika Muraishi • Hiroto Yokokawa • Hiroyuki Seshita • Ishiro Honda • John Guillermin • Jordan Vogt-Roberts • Jun Fukuda • Kazuhiro Nakagawa • Kazuki Omori • Kensho Yamashita • Kimiyoshi Yasuda • Kiyotaka Taguchi‎‎ • Kobun Shizuno • Koji Hashimoto • Kunio Miyoshi • Masaaki Hisamatsu • Masaaki Tezuka • Masaji Nonagase • Merian C. Cooper • Michael Dougherty • Minoru Kawasaki • Motoyoshi Oda • Noriaki Yuasa • Okihiro Yoneda • Peter Jackson • Roland Emmerich • Ryuhei Kitamura • Ryuichi Ichino • Shinji Higuchi • Shinpei Hayashiya • Shizuo Nakajima • Shusuke Kaneko • Takao Okawara • Takashi Miike • Takashi Yamazaki • Takeshi Yagi • Takuya Uenishi • Tomoo Haraguchi • Tokuzo Tanaka • Willis O'Brien • Yoshikazu Ishii • Yoshimitsu Banno • Yusuke Ishida
Effects directors
Assistant directors
 
Artists
Production designers
Illustrators
Propmakers

 
 
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