The King Kong That Appeared in Edo (1938) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language

1938 · 50 mins · Japanese

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Directed by

Sôya Kumagai

Starring

Fuminori Ōhashi, Shojiro Ogata, Reizaburo Ichikawa, Reiko Mishima, Eizaburo Matsumoto, Yasutaro Yagi

Regarded as one of Japan’s early tokusatsu productions, the lost film is considered a pioneering effort. Because it is lost, no footage survives. Its effects were done by Fuminori Ohashi, who claimed to have consulted on the 1954 Godzilla, a claim disputed by modeler Eizo Kaimai and staffer Shinji Hiruma. A March 1938 Kinema Junpo synopsis clarifies that the “Kong” in the story was not a gigantic monster.