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Daimajin

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Daimajin
1984 poster for a screening of the three Daimajin films[1]
Created byDaiei Film
OwnerKadokawa Daiei Studio
Films and television
Film(s)Daimajin
Return of Daimajin
Wrath of Daimajin (all 1966)
Television seriesDaimajin Kanon (2010)

Daimajin (大魔神, Daimajin, lit. 'Giant Demon God') is a Japanese tokusatsu[note 1] series centering on an eponymous fictitious giant warrior god. It initially consisted of a film trilogy shot simultaneously and released in 1966 with three different directors and predominantly the same crew.[3] The series was produced by Daiei Film and contained similar plot structures involving villages being overthrown by warlords, leading to the villagers attempting to reach out to Daimajin, the great demon god, to save them.[4]

History

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See also: Gamera, Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare, and The Great Yokai War: Guardians
Sculptures of Daimajin along with an illustration of Gamera at Kadokawa Daiei Studio office.

Daimajin was originally designed to be the first foe of Gamera, and the concept developed into both Daimajin and Barugon appearing in the 1966 film Gamera vs. Barugon.[5] The filmmakers were also inspired by the golem that appeared in the 1936 Czechoslovakian film Le Golem.[6]

Daimon the vampire, the recurring character which made its debut in Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare, was heavily inspired by the former professional baseball player Chikara Hashimoto's acts of Daimajin, and Hashimoto was also appointed for the role of Daimon.[7]

After the original film trilogy in 1966, the series was revived in 2010 as a television drama titled Daimajin Kanon, broadcast on TV Tokyo.[8] The Daimajin character also made a cameo appearance in the 2021 film The Great Yokai War: Guardians.[9]

Since the bankruptcy of Daiei Film, all of its representative tokusatsu franchises (Gamera and Daimajin and Yokai Monsters) have faced repeated inactivity in productions. There existed several revival attempts of Daimajin and Yokai Monsters along with the Gamera franchise, the most popular of the three, by Daiei Film's successors (Tokuma Shoten and Kadokawa Corporation).[10][11] For example, Heisei Gamera trilogy initially started as an attempt to revive Daimajin, and the company later launched another Daimajin project along with the Heisei Gamera trilogy. This was supposed to feature Steven Seagal, the father of Ayako Fujitani who played the human protagonist of the Gamera trilogy, and the plot written by Yasutaka Tsutsui and Katsuhiro Otomo was later published as a novelization.[12][13] There had been additional revival attempts, such as one by Ishiro Honda in 1980s[14] an alleged 1990s project by starring Kevin Costner,[15] and Kadokawa, after acquiring the copyrights of Daiei properties from Tokuma Shoten, announced a Daimajin project along with Godzilla vs. Gamera crossover in 2002, however the offer for a crossover was turned down by Toho.[16][17]

Among the three franchises, only the Daimajin has not received any new film productions as of 2024 (except for Daimajin Kanon and The Great Yokai War: Guardians). Takashi Miike, who has directed The Great Yokai War and The Great Yokai War: Guardians, had also attempted to revive Daimajin in the late 2000s along with the 2006 film Gamera the Brave.[18] Miike described the difficulty to revive the Daimajin franchise based on budgetary problems; Daimajin (as a character) is physically much smaller than traditional kaiju and Ultraman and directly interacts with humans. This results in necessity of increase in Daimajin's size to act among modern buildings, and expensive (large-scaled, life-sized, and detailed) models and props for filming.[19]

A rather predictable storyline of the franchise had also triggered the cancellation of the reboot attempt as a television series in 1960s by Noriaki Yuasa and Mamoru Sasaki and Yoji Hashimoto along with the budgetary requirement; Yuasa and Sasaki were also originally appointed for Daimajin Kanon.[20][21]

Producing three Daimajin films within the same year presumably accelerated financial difficulties of Daiei Film and resulted in the cancellation of subsequent Daimajin productions.[22]

Daimajin along with Gamera and Daimon and Sadako Yamamura[note 2] and multiple other characters from various franchises made cameo appearances in the novel series USO MAKOTO Yōkai Hyaku Monogatari by Natsuhiko Kyogoku.[24]

In 1988, Masahiko Katto produced a independent film titled The Resurrection of Daimajin.[15]

Films

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Official English title Japanese title Japanese release date Ref(s)
Daimajin Giant Demon God (大魔神) 17 April 1966 [25][26]
Return of Daimajin Wrath of the Giant Demon God (大魔神怒る, Daimajin Ikaru) 13 August 1966 [27][28][26]
Wrath of Daimajin The Giant Demon God's Counterattack (大魔神逆襲, Daimajin gyakushu) 10 December 1966 [25][26]

Daimajin

[edit]
Main article: Daimajin (film)

In Japan, a household of peasants cower during a series of earth tremors that are interpreted as the escape attempts of Daimajin, a spirit trapped within the mountain. These events are observed by Lord Hanabasa, and his chamberlain, Samanosuke, who are attempting to seize power in the area. As the villagers pray at a shrine, Samanosuke and his henchmen slaughter Hanabasa's family, with only his son and daughter escaping, who are assisted by the samurai Kogenta. Back at the shrine, Samanosuke's men begin to take over and forbid gatherings at the shrine. After failing to warn Samanosuke about his actions, the priestess Shinobu returns home, finding Kogenta and the two children. Shinobu takes them up the side of the mountain into forbidden territory, where the stone idol which is Daimajin stands, half-buried in the side of the mountain. The children grow to adulthood with the son, Tadafumi (Yoshihiko Aoyama) reaching his 18th birthday. Meanwhile, Samanosuke has enslaved the village. After several attempts to return peace and freedom to the village, Samanosuke's men travel up the mountain to smash Daimajin. Damaijin is asked by the daughter, Kozasa (Miwa Takada) to save her brother, with the idol removing a mask to reveal Daimajin's real face, leading it to rise from the mountain and exact its wrath on Samanosuke and his fortress. Daimajin's wrath begins to grow to attacking everything in sight, only stopping when Kozasa's tears land on Daimajin's feet.

The film was released in the United States by Daiei International with subtitles in an English-dubbed version by Bernard Lewis.[25] The film has been released under many English alternative titles, such as The Devil Got Angry, The Vengeance of the Monster, and Majin, the Monster of Terror.[25]

Return of Daimajin

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In Japan, Daimajin is found on an island in the middle of a lake which is surrounded by two peaceful villages, Chigusa and Nagoshi. In a distant third village ruled by an evil lord, the citizens flee to Chigusa to take refuge. One day, the evil lord decides to take over the two villages and attempts to do so at an annual festival. After being pursued by the evil lord's army, the people of Chigusa and Nagoshi find themselves on the island with the Daimajin statue. The evil lord has his men shatter the statue with a large amount of gunpowder. Daimajin's shattered remains end up at the bottom of the lake. Daimajin awakens to inflict chaos to all around it, including the landscape and the evil lord.

Return of Daimajin was never released theatrically in the United States, but was released to television by AIP-TV in 1967.[28] It also has been released under the alternate title Return of the Giant Majin

Wrath of Daimajin

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In Japan, Daimajin is found at the top of a mountain. Fathers in a village have been captured by an evil lord and forced to work in labor camps. Four of their sons decide to go rescue them, even if it means crossing the mountain where Daimajin is. The four sons pay their respects to the statue when they pass it so that they do not incur its wrath. The evil lord eventually angers the statue, who comes to life and destroys all those who have not been paying respect to it. The children and their fathers are spared, while the work camp is destroyed.

Wrath of Daimajin was never released theatrically in the United States, but received the international English title of Majin Strikes Again.

Television Drama

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Main article: Daimajin Kanon
Title Japanese release date Ref(s)
Daimajin Kanon (大魔神カノン) 2 April 2010 [20]

The 2010 drama Daimajin Kanon is the sole television series of the franchise. Originally, Noriaki Yuasa from the Gamera franchise was appointed for the director along with Mamoru Sasaki as the writer and additional film crews from Toei's Kamen Rider franchise.[20]

Recurring cast and characters

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List indicator(s)
  • This table only includes characters which have appeared in more than one film.
  • A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's presence in the film has not yet been announced.
Character Film
Daimajin
(1966) 		Return of Daimajin
(1966) 		Wrath of Daimajin
(1966)
Daimajin Riki Hoshimoto [25][27][28]

Crew

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Occupation Film
Daimajin
(1966) 		Return of Daimajin
(1966) 		Wrath of Daimajin
(1966)
Director Kimiyoshi Yasuda Kenji Misumi Kazuo Mori
Producer(s) Masaichi Nagata
Screenplay Tetsuro Yoshida
Composer(s) Akira Ifukube
Director of photography Fujio Morita
Editor(s) Hiroshi Yamada
Ref(s) [25] [27][28] [25]

Home media

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Title Format Release date Films Reference
Daimajin Collection: Daimajin, Return of Daimajin, Wrath of Daimajin DVD October 22, 2002 Daimajin, Return of Daimajin, Daimajin Strikes Again [29]
Daimajin February 1, 2005 Daimajin [29]
Daimajin: Return of Daimajin April 12, 2005 Return of The Giant Majin [30]
Daimajin: Wrath of Daimajin May 3, 2005 Daimajin Strikes Again [31]
Daimajin Blu-ray September 18, 2012 Daimajin, Return of Daimajin, Daimajin Strikes Again [3][32]
The Daimajin Trilogy Blu-ray July 26, 2021 Daimajin, Return of Daimajin, Wrath of Daimajin [33]

Legacy

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Former professional baseball player Kazuhiro Sasaki was nicknamed after the Daimajin, and Sasaki has participated in collaborations and advertisements with the franchise.[34][35][36]

Notes

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  1. ^ While Daimajin is often regarded as a kaiju by Western sources, it has been cited in Japan as not meeting the requirements to qualify as a kaiju.[2]
  2. ^ There have been occasions for models and suits of these characters to be exhibited alongside.[23]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Daimajin Festival (1966)". Jposter. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  2. ^ 藝能 [Performing Arts]. Vol. 8. 1966. p. 61 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Marsiglia, Jason S. (October 11, 2012). "Daimajin: The God that Lives in the Shadows of Monsters". Diabolique Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Oritz-Moya 2016, p. 43.
  5. ^ Junzo Takaki, ed. (1996-07-19). "chapterIII 大魔神の章（1966）『大魔神』". ガメラ画報 大映秘蔵映画五十五年の歩み. B media books special. Takeshobo. p. 85. ISBN 4-8124-0166-6.
  6. ^ Ishii et al., 1997, 日本特撮・幻想映画全集, p.170, Keibunsha, ISBN 4766927060
  7. ^ Takeshobo, ガメラ画報 大映秘蔵映画五十五年の歩み, 1996, P.99
  8. ^ Oritz-Moya 2016, p. 44.
  9. ^ "「大魔神」55年の歳月を経てスクリーンに復活！ 三池崇史監督「妖怪大戦争 ガーディアンズ」本予告完成". Eiga.com. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  10. ^ Movie Walker Press, 2021, 金子修介監督、平成ガメラ三部作を語る！令和ガメラにも「やる気十分」
  11. ^ ZAKZAK, November 13, 2002, 角川大映、「ゴジラvsガメラ」製作へ - 「大魔神」のリメーク版も, FUJI Evening News
  12. ^ Kengo Nakamura, 1999, From Princess Mononoke to My Neighbors the Yamadas, pp.38-41, Tokuma Shoten
  13. ^ Shinichiro Inoue, 2010, Daiei Tokusatsu Film Encyclopedia: Daikaiju Fantasy Battle Gameva vs Daimajin, "Wrath of Daimajin", p.8, Newtype, Kadokawa Shoten
  14. ^ Steve Ryfle, Ed Godziszewski, 2017, Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa, p.285, Wesleyan University Press
  15. ^ a b Steven Sloss, 2023, Idol Threat: Daimajin's Colossal Cultural Footprint, Arrow Films
  16. ^ ZAKZAK, November 13, 2002, 角川大映、「ゴジラvsガメラ」製作へ - 「大魔神」のリメーク版も, FUJI Evening News
  17. ^ SciFi Japan, Gamera The Brave
  18. ^ Eiga Hihō, April, 2007, 実写限定!巨大ロボット映画ベスト30!-「トランスフォーマー」襲来間近!「ガンヘッド」もやってくるぞ!, Yosensha Co., Ltd.
  19. ^ Hyouri Takahashi, August 12, 2021, 三池崇史監督が語る「大魔神」復活の意外な真実とは!?『妖怪大戦争 ガーディアンズ』に込めたメッセージと子供たちへの眼差し, banger.jp.
  20. ^ a b c Shuntaro Ono, December 28, 2018, Geistesgeschichte of Gamera: From Showa to Heisei, p.207-208, Takanashi Shobou
  21. ^ Shunichi Karasawa, April 14, 2006, Gamera Genesis: Movie Director Noriaki Yuasa, p.216-217, Enterbrain
  22. ^ Fuminobi Hata, December 12, 2022, 俺はお前を待っていた！Netflixで復活の大怪獣ガメラ、その歩みと新作への期待, IGN Japan
  23. ^ Shōzaburō Nakamura, May 26, 2012, ゲゲゲの鬼太郎の調布ぬくもりステーションに、ガメラ、大魔神、貞子3Dが出現, Shōzaburō Nakamura's Hot Corner
  24. ^ Natsuhiko Kyogoku, 2018, USO MAKOTO Yōkai Hyaku Monogatari, "Kyu", 373-375, p.392, Kadokawa
  25. ^ a b c d e f g Galbraith IV 1996, p. 277.
  26. ^ a b c Daimajin. Mill Creek Entertainment. 2012. ASIN B008L0YMSW.
  27. ^ a b c Galbraith IV 1996, p. 334.
  28. ^ a b c d Galbraith IV 1996, p. 335.
  29. ^ a b "Daimajin (1966)". Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  30. ^ "Daimajin ikaru (1966)". AllMovie. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  31. ^ "Daimajin gyakushu (1966)". AllMovie. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  32. ^ "Daimajin - Triple Feature Collector's Edition - Blu-Ray". Mill Creek Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  33. ^ "Arrow Video Presents Daimajin Trilogy: Part Samurai, Part Kaiju, All Fun". Critical Blast. July 27, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  34. ^ 「ホントに大きい!」『大魔神カノン』主演女優・里久鳴祐果、リアル大魔神・佐々木主浩のデカさに口あんぐり
  35. ^ CR大魔神
  36. ^ ダイマンCR 佐々木和弘 野球フィギュア 日本大栄海寿ソフビ

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Galbraith IV, Stuart (1996). The Japanese Filmography: 1900 through 1994. McFarland. ISBN 0786400323.
  • Oritz-Moya, Fernando (2016). Murguía, Salvador Jimenez (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442261679.
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