Japan's Nuclear Nightmare; Primary Source

For my research project, I have decided to analyze the 1954 film Godzilla, or Gojira. I was drawn to this artifact due to my deep interest in World War II and Cold War history. It was always interesting and devastating to specifically learn about Hiroshima and Nagasaki and I desired to discus these events in a different way that didn't draw from traditional mediums such as novels and documentary films.

The film, directed by Ishirō Honda, tells that story of Japanese citizens that are thrown into a frenzy as disastrous force kills innocent people and destroys infrastructure all around the country. Leading an expedition to find out what is causing such destruction, paleontologist Kyôhei Yamane, his daughter Emiko, and Hideto Ogata discover a gigantic, 164-foot tall monster that has been awoken from its sleep in its underwater habitat by underwater hydrogen bomb testing. Desiring to destroy the monster that has caused such panic, Yamane’s colleague Daisuke Serizawa develops a weapon of mass destruction called the Oxygen Destroyer and ensues in a suicide mission in which he destroys Godzilla but also kills himself so that the destructive knowledge he has gained doesn't get in the wrong hands.

The director, Honda, had been drafted into the Japanese army during World War II and had witnessed the destruction of Hiroshima in the aftermath of the atomic bombing. Shocked by the devastation he had witnessed, he set out to make a film to bring to light the horrors of nuclear warfare and Godzilla emerged as that product. In the film, using attack styles that mirror the atomic bombings and the B-29 bombs, Godzilla acts as a symbol for nuclear and atomic weapons that continued to devastate Japan from the 1940’s to the 1960’s. Through the depiction of the fear from the Japanese public due to Godzilla’s rampage, the film also importantly reflects the fears of the Japanese against the continuous use of nuclear weapons and the consequences of nuclear fallout even after the catastrophic Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

“The theme of the film, from the beginning, was the terror of the bomb.”

-Tomoyuki Tanaka, film producer and co-creator

Honda expresses such fears in a very unorthodox way as it illuminates deep and heavy themes through an unusual form. The film is known as the first kaijū film, a Japanese genre that features monsters usually wreaking havoc in a major city. Honda’s intent was to use this Western inspired genre to make it easier for the audience to resonate with deep and heavy themes in a way that would not downplay the horrific effects of such detrimental weapons. He believed that it was unnecessary to explicitly depict images of nuclear war or make obvious connections between Godzilla and radiation mutations as the Japanese public was already clearly aware of the imagery that was being depicted. With the monster of the film and the nuclear test that awoken it ridden in ambiguity, the fearful impact of radiation and destruction became far more effective.

The film in this medium allowed for the creation of a pop culture icon that was deeply ridden in political undertones. It offered the audience an enjoyable experience but more importantly used its platform to express anti-nuclear and anti-Western sentiments. It's favorability however led to its proliferation through which it's original meaning and message has been forgotten. In the public's mind, Godzilla exists as a simple monster franchise and my paper will be geared towards bringing its original deep and personal history to light.

Works Consulted

Tanaka, Yuki. "Godzilla and the Bravo Shot: Who Created and Killed the Monster?" The Asia- Pacific Journal 3.6 (2005): 1-13. JSTOR. Web.