The God of Clay

The God of Clay Directed by Hiromasa Mitsudome, Nobuaki Sugimoto Producer Norihiko Iwasaki et al. Written by Hiromasa Mitsudome Production company Dream Planet Japan, Marbling Fine Arts Budget $40,000 Running time 11 minutes

“	Should I cease to exist...?	„
	— English tagline

The God of Clay (ねんどの神さま,   Nendo no Kamisama) is a 2011 tokusatsu kaiju short film written and directed by Hiromasa Mitsudome based on Masamoto Nasu's 1993 children's book of the same name. Produced by Dream Planet Japan and Marbling Fine Arts, it was initially directed by Nobuaki Sugimoto but completed by Mitsudome under the supervision of Koichi Kawakita. The short premiered at the Bigfoot Crest Theater in Westwood, California on June 23, 2011.

Plot

In September 1946, young Kenichi and Yoko sculpt a clay monster for class, which they call "a god who hates war." Decades later, in a rich and decadent Japan, Kenichi has become the president of a prominent weapons manufacturer. Yoko, who Kenichi took care of after American bombers killed their parents during World War II, tells Kenichi's grandson that she no longer recognizes him, and wishes for the God of Clay to return. In their old school, long since abandoned, the clay monster comes to life, bursting through the roof as he grows. The JSDF deploys as he rampages through a nearby village. The monster shrugs off their attempts to stop him by blowing up a bridge and shooting him with helicopters. As Kenichi authorizes the use of a new uranium bomb, the God of Clay shoots the helicopters with a blue ray from his horn, then draws them into his body. The uranium bomb devastates the surrounding area but has no effect on the God of Clay, who advances towards Kenichi's office. Standing before his old creation, he refuses to change, but the God of Clay replies that he only wants to ask a question: "Should I cease to exist? You don’t hate war anymore, right?" Kenichi tries to argue that the weapons he sells are to prevent war, but as the monster wails, he recants, promising to end his business. Satisfied, the monster returns to clay and shatters.

Staff

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

• Directed by   Hiromasa Mitsudome
• Associate director   Nobuaki Sugimoto
• Supervised by   Koichi Kawakita
• Written by   Hiromasa Mitsudome
• Based on the book by   Masamoto Nasu
• Executive producer   Norihiko Iwasaki
• Produced by   Mitsuru Tanaka, Ryuji Ofuna
• Visual effects producer   Nobuaki Sugiki
• Cinematography by   Takehiro Kuramochi, Keiichi Sakurai
• Production design by   Tetsuzo Osawa, Junkei Yamada
• First assistant directors   Yoshiaki Kondo, Noritsugu Yoshida
• Visual effects supervisors   Tomoaki Miwa, Ryoichi Tanaka
• Storyboards and God of Clay design by   Shinji Nishikawa
• Modeling by   Kaimai Productions
• Backgrounds painted by   Fuchimu Shimakura

Cast

• Sadao Mizutani
• Yuri Tabata
• Hanzo Iwasaki
• Mika Iwasaki
• Soji Maruyama
• Shinya Iwasaki
• Masakazu Migita
• Takanobu Nakatani
• Akitoshi Otaki
• Akira Matsuki

Appearances

Monsters God of Clay

Weapons, vehicles, and races Fuji UH-1J Iroquois Uranium bomb launcher Boeing B-29 Superfortress

Production

Upon hearing that Toho would be shutting down its Toho Built studio in 2008, Marbling Fine Arts owner Norihiko Iwasaki secured permission to shoot one last film in the facility. Director Nobuaki Sugimoto led a team of tokusatsu specialists, all volunteering their time, to make this initial version of The God of Clay. Marbling provided the miniatures, which were leftovers from various Godzilla and Ultraman productions. Prolific special effects director Koichi Kawakita took over the project from Sugimoto, supervising a new edit and shooting new scenes.

Gallery

Main article: The God of Clay/Gallery.

Theatrical releases

• United States - June 23, 2011

U.S. release

Marbling encountered difficulties in distributing The God of Clay due to a lack of venues for short films in Japan and licensing issues with the publishers of Nasu's book. Only two known screenings have taken place, both in the United States. Following its premiere at the Bigfoot Crest Theater in Westwood, California, on June 23, 2011, it screened during the Kaiju Gaiden Strikes Back panel at G-Fest XXVI on July 15, 2017.

Videos

Recording of the film's screening at G-Fest XXIV

Trivia

• The God of Clay was Koichi Kawakita's last film before his death in 2014. It was not his final work overall, however, as he wrote and directed the 4-episode mini-series Gunbot that year, with its final episode airing on the day of his passing.
  • The JSDF's plan to stop the God of Clay by blowing up a bridge may be a reference to The Mysterians, the film which sparked his interest in special effects. The visual of a powerful businessman facing a monster from his past also echoes Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, on which Kawakita served as the director of special effects.

References

This is a list of references for The God of Clay. 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]

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