Mothra's Song

"Mothra's Song" Performed by Showa: Emi Ito & Yumi Ito Heisei: Sayaka Osawa & Keiko ImamuraGvM; Megumi Kobayashi & Sayaka YamaguchiRoM1-2; Megumi Kobayashi & Misato TateRoM3 Millennium: Chihiro Otsuka & Masami Nagasawa Composed by Yuji Koseki Arranged by Hiroshi TakadaGvM; Toshiyuki WatanabeRoM1-3; Michiru OshimaGMMG; Bear McCrearyGKotM Lyrics by "Koji Yuji" (Tomoyuki Tanaka, Shinichi Sekizawa, Ishiro Honda); Yoshiko Miura (Japanese)GvM Heard in Mothra, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Mothra, Rebirth of Mothra, Rebirth of Mothra 2, Rebirth of Mothra 3, Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Chibi Godzilla Raids Again Sung for Mothra, Mothra Leo

This page is about the song originally composed by Yuji Koseki for the film Mothra. For the song of the same name composed by Masaru Sato for Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, see "Mothra's Song" (Ebirah, Horror of the Deep).

"Mothra's Song" (モスラの歌 or モスラの唄,   Mosura no Uta) is a song originally composed by Yuji Koseki for the 1961 Toho kaiju film Mothra, in which it was sung by Mothra's fairy priestesses the Shobijin, played by twin sisters Emi and Yumi Ito ("The Peanuts"), in order to summon her to their aid. It has since come to be recognized as Mothra's leitmotif, with renditions appearing in many of her subsequent film appearances. Two exceptions are 1966's Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, which features an unrelated song with the same name composed by Masaru Sato and performed by Pair Bambi, and 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters, for which composer Bear McCreary created a new arrangement of Koseki's composition that ultimately went unused, save for an instrumental version playing over the end credits.

After its debut in Mothra, "Mothra's Song" was next heard in Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), in which it was again performed by The Peanuts, reprising their role as the Shobijin. The song was later performed by Cosmos actresses Sayaka Osawa and Keiko Imamura in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992); by Elias actresses Megumi Kobayashi and Sayaka Yamaguchi in Rebirth of Mothra (1996), Rebirth of Mothra 2 (1997), and along with Belvera actress Misato Tate in Rebirth of Mothra 3 (1998); and by new Shobijin actresses Chihiro Otsuka and Masami Nagasawa in Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003).

Despite its prolific nature, "Mothra's Song" has only received a standalone release twice. The original version by The Peanuts was released by King Records as a 7" vinyl single in May of 1978, with "Daughters of Infant Island" as its B-side. An alternate recording of Osawa and Imamura's rendition, featuring two additional verses sung in Japanese that were not heard in Godzilla vs. Mothra, was released as a promotional mini CD for that movie by EMI Music on November 4, 1992; Osawa and Imamura's recording of "Sacred Springs" was included as its B-side.

Lyrics

The song's lyrics are widely believed to have originated from the Indonesian language, and approximated to Japanese pronunciations. The lyrics were originally credited to "Koji Yuki," a joint pen name of producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa, and director Ishiro Honda. In the end credits of Godzilla vs. Mothra and the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy, Tanaka, Sekizawa, and Honda are simply credited by their real names. The katakana transcription of the lyrics was written by Mothra assistant director Hiroshi Haryu.

The katakana lyrics are relayed inconsistently by different sources. This ranges from simple changes in spacing to discrepancies of entire syllables. Listed below are five such variations, along with their romaji.

"Mothra's Song" 1978 single release	"Mothra's Song" 1992 single release & Godzilla vs. Mothra theater program	Godzilla vs. Mothra SCW & Godzilla: Tokyo SOS SCW	Rebirth of Mothra SCW	Rebirth of Mothra 2 SCW
Japanese	Japanese	Japanese	Japanese	Japanese
モスラヤ　モスラ ドゥンガン　カサクヤン インドゥムウ ルスト　ウィラードア ハンバ　ハンバムヤン ランダバン　ウンラダン トゥンジュカンラー カサクヤーンム	モスラヤ　モスラ ドゥンガン　カサクヤン インドウ　ムウ ルスト　ウィラードア ハンバ　ハンバムヤン ランダバン　ウンラダン トゥンジュンカンラー カサクヤーンム	モスラヤ　モスラ ドゥンガン　カサクヤン インドゥムウ ルスト　ウィラードァ ハンバ　ハンバムヤン ランダ　バンウンラダン トゥンジュカンラー カサクヤーンム	モスラヤ　モスラ ドゥンガン　カサクヤン インドゥ　ムー ルスト　ウィラード　ア ハムバ　ハムバームヤ ランダ　バンウンラダン トゥンジュ　カンラー カサクヤーンム	モスラヤ　モスラ ドゥンガン　カサクヤン インドゥ　ムー ルスト　ウィラード　ア ハムバ　ハムバームヤ ランダ　バンウンラダン トンジュ　カンラー カサクヤーンム
Romaji	Romaji	Romaji	Romaji	Romaji
Mosuraya Mosura Dungan kasakuyan Indumū Rusuto wirādoa Hanba hanbamuyan Randaban unradan Tunjukanrā Kasakuyānmu	Mosuraya Mosura Dungan kasakuyan Indō mū Rusuto wirādoa Hanba hanbamuyan Randaban unradan Tunjunkanrā Kasakuyānmu	Mosuraya Mosura Dungan kasakuyan Indumū Rusuto wirādwa Hanba hanbamuyan Randa banunradan Tunjukanrā Kasakuyānmu	Mosuraya Mosura Dungan kasakuyan Indu mū Rusuto wirādo a Hamuba hamubāmuya Randa banunradan Tunju kanrā Kasakuyānmu	Mosuraya Mosura Dungan kasakuyan Indu mū Rusuto wirādo a Hamuba hamubāmuya Randa banunradan Tonju kanrā Kasakuyānmu

Below are the Indonesian lyrics upon which the song is thought to be based, along with Japanese and English translations.

Indonesian	Japanese	English
Mothra, ya, Mothra Dengan kesaktian Indukmu Restuilah do'a hambamu yang rendah Bangunlah dan Tunjukkanlah Kasaktianmu	モスラよ、モスラ あなたの母の神秘力で あなたの賤しきしもべの祈りをかなえたまえ さあ、起き上がり、 その神秘の力をお示しください	Mothra, o Mothra Through thy magical life energy Accept the prayers of thy humble servants Arise and Show us your magic power

Godzilla vs. Mothra

Though only the first verse is used in Godzilla vs. Mothra, two additional verses were written in Japanese by Yoshiko Miura. These additional Japanese verses exclusively appear in the promotional single version of the song. They are presented below as they appear in the film's theater program, along with their romaji and an English translation.

Japanese	Romaji	English
モスラや　モスラ 救けてよと　呼べば 時を越えて 海を越えて 波のように やって来る 守り神 モスラやモスラ 優しささえ　忘れ 荒れ果てた 人の心祈りながら 歌いたい 愛の歌	Mosura ya Mosura Tasuketeyo to yobeba Toki o koete Umi o koete Nami no yō ni Yattekiru Mamorigami Mosura ya Mosura Yasashi sasase wasure Arehateta Hito no kokoro inori nagara Utaitai Ai no uta	Mothra, oh Mothra If we were to call for help Across time Across the sea Like a wave You'd come Our guardian angel Mothra, oh Mothra Of forgotten kindness And ruined spirits We pray for the people's spirit As we sing This song of love

Filmography

• Mothra (1961)
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
• Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
• Rebirth of Mothra (1996)
• Rebirth of Mothra 2 (1997)
• Rebirth of Mothra 3 (1998)
• Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)
• Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
• Chibi Godzilla Raids Again (TV 2023) [episode 11]

Videos

"Mothra's Song" from Mothra "Mothra's Song" from Godzilla vs. Mothra "Mothra's Song" from Rebirth of Mothra "Mothra's Song" from Rebirth of Mothra 2 "Mothra's Song" from Rebirth of Mothra 3 "Mothra's Song" from Godzilla: Tokyo SOS "Mothra's Song" music video for Godzilla: Tokyo SOS "Mothra's Song" from Godzilla: King of the Monsters "Mothra's Song" with choir from Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Trivia

• The English subtitles on Sony's Blu-ray release of Godzilla vs. Mothra erroneously translate the Indonesian first verse of "Mothra's Song" using the lyrics to the Japanese second verse, which is not heard in the movie.

See also

• "Daughters of Infant Island"
• "Sacred Springs"
• "Mahara Mothra"
• "Call Happiness"
• "Mothra's Song" (Ebirah, Horror of the Deep)
• "The Song of Prayer"
• "Mothra Leo"
• "Haora Mothra"

References

This is a list of references for Mothra's Song. 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]

Bibliography

• Godzilla vs. Mothra theater program. Toho. 12 December 1992.
• Matsui, Satoshi, ed. (1 January 2004). Godzilla: Tokyo SOS Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-101493-3.
• Sagami, Yasuyuki, ed. (28 March 2014). Godzilla vs. Mothra Super Complete Works (Kindle ed.). Shogakukan. ISBN 978-4-09-101433-7.
• Takashima, ed. (25 July 2014). Rebirth of Mothra Super Complete Works (Kindle ed.). Shogakukan. ISBN 978-4-09-101456-6.
• Kawamata, Shigeo, ed. (22 August 2014). Rebirth of Mothra 2 Super Complete Works (Kindle ed.). Shogakukan. ISBN 978-4-09-101461-0.

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