Eizo Kaimai
- Costume & make-up
- January 1, 1929 · Tokyo, Japan
- April 24, 2020
Biography
Eizo Kaimai (Kaimai Eizō, 1929 - April 24, 2020) was a Japanese businessman and modeler. He began working for Toho on many of their early Tokusatsu productions, and was first employed as a modeler on the original Godzilla suit for "Godzilla" (1954). He would go on to do modeling work on the first five Godzilla sequels, as well as many of Toho's other special effects films like "Rodan" (1956), "Mothra" (1961), and "Frankenstein vs. Baragon" (1965), to name a few. In 1966, one year after working on his last Godzilla film, Kaimai left Toho to instead found his own company, Kaimai Productions. In the years following, Kaimai also did modeling for rival studio Daiei's Gamera film series, and many of Tsuburaya Productions' special effects television series, most notably, Ultraman. This continued into the early 1980's with his final work being "Ultraman 80" (TV 1980-1981). Kaimai passed away on April 24, 2020, due to leukemia. At 90 years old, Kaimai was the oldest surviving creator of Godzilla, and played major roles in the legacy of other giants of special effects cinema.
Known for
Filmography
- The Spirit of Godzilla
- Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah · Original Godzilla (archive photo) (uncredited)
- Bloodthirsty Hawk · Costume Design
- Godzilla · Costume Designer, Modeling
- Jumborg Ace · Costume Design, Modeling
- King Kong Escapes · Costume Design, Modeling
- The Space Giants · Visual Effects
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster · Costume Design, Modeling
- Mothra vs. Godzilla · Modeling, Costume Design
- Matango · Costume Design, Modeling
- King Kong vs. Godzilla · Modeling, Costume Designer
- King Kong vs. Godzilla · Modeling, Costume Designer
- The Last War · Modeling
- Gigantis, the Fire Monster · Modeling, Costume Design
- Varan · Modeling, Costume Design
- The Mysterians · Costume Design, Modeling
- Tokyo 1960 · Costume Design, Modeling
- Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman · Modeling, Costume Design
- Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean · Costume Designer, Modeling
- Rodan · Costume Design, Modeling
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters! · Costume Designer, Modeling
- Beast Man Snow Man · Costume Design, Modeling
- Godzilla Raids Again · Costume Designer, Modeling
- Godzilla · Costume Designer