Ishirō Honda

Directing

Ishirō Honda

Born May 5, 1911 · Yamagata, Japan

Died February 28, 1993 · aged 81

Ishirō Honda (Honda Ishirō), sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", (May 7, 1911, in Yamagata Prefecture – February 28, 1993) was a Japanese film director. His early film career included working as an assistant under the famed director Akira Kurosawa. Alongside his film duties, he was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II in China and was a prisoner t…

Known For

GodzillaGodzilla · 1954
Godzilla
7.61954
MovieThrillerHorror
Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not only Japan, but the rest of the world as well.
RanRan · 1985
Ran
8.01985
MovieActionDrama
Shakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons.
KagemushaKagemusha · 1980
Kagemusha
7.81980
MovieActionDrama
Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.
The Human VaporThe Human Vapor · 1960
The Human Vapor
7.11960
MovieScience FictionCrime
A failed science experiment gives a librarian the ability to turn into a gaseous substance. He goes on to rob banks to fund his dancer girlfriend's career, killing those who interfere. Now Tokyo's most wanted criminal, can authorities stop him?
Godzilla vs. MothraGodzilla vs. Mothra · 1992
Godzilla vs. Mothra
6.91992
MovieActionAdventure
Mothra's dark counterpart, Battra, emerges to eliminate humanity on behalf of the Earth. Two tiny fairies called the Cosmos offer their help by calling Mothra to battle the creature. Unfortunately a meteorite has awoken a hibernating Godzilla as a three way battle for the Earth begins.
DreamsDreams · 1990
Dreams
7.81990
MovieFantasyDrama
Eight visually rich vignettes drawn from Kurosawa’s own dreams—fox weddings and vanished orchards, a soldier’s ghosts, a walk through Van Gogh’s canvases, nuclear nightmares, and a water-mill utopia—meditate on childhood, art, mortality, and humanity’s uneasy bond with nature.
King Kong vs. GodzillaKing Kong vs. Godzilla · 1962
King Kong vs. Godzilla
6.91962
MovieScience FictionFantasy
The advertising director of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, frustrated with the low ratings of their sponsored TV program, seeks a more sensationalist approach. He orders his staff to Faro Island to capture King Kong for exploitation. As Godzilla re-emerges, a media frenzy generates with Pacific looking to capitalize off of the ultimate battle.
Varan the UnbelievableVaran the Unbelievable · 1962
Varan the Unbelievable
4.41962
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
In an effort to find an economic means of purifying salt water, a joint U.S.-Japanese military command is set up on an isolated Japanese island where an unusual salt water lake is situated. However, their purifying experiments arouse the prehistoric monster Obaki from hibernation at the lake's bottom, and it proceeds to attack Japan. Although made by a U.S. independent film company, this film was based on a Japanese Toho monster film of 1958, "Daikaiju Varan", from which all of the monster effects scenes and a few incidental dramatic shots were edited into it.

Movies

GodzillaGodzilla · 1954
Godzilla
7.61954
MovieThrillerHorror
Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not only Japan, but the rest of the world as well.
RanRan · 1985
Ran
8.01985
MovieActionDrama
Shakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons.
KagemushaKagemusha · 1980
Kagemusha
7.81980
MovieActionDrama
Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.
The Human VaporThe Human Vapor · 1960
The Human Vapor
7.11960
MovieScience FictionCrime
A failed science experiment gives a librarian the ability to turn into a gaseous substance. He goes on to rob banks to fund his dancer girlfriend's career, killing those who interfere. Now Tokyo's most wanted criminal, can authorities stop him?
Godzilla vs. MothraGodzilla vs. Mothra · 1992
Godzilla vs. Mothra
6.91992
MovieActionAdventure
Mothra's dark counterpart, Battra, emerges to eliminate humanity on behalf of the Earth. Two tiny fairies called the Cosmos offer their help by calling Mothra to battle the creature. Unfortunately a meteorite has awoken a hibernating Godzilla as a three way battle for the Earth begins.
DreamsDreams · 1990
Dreams
7.81990
MovieFantasyDrama
Eight visually rich vignettes drawn from Kurosawa’s own dreams—fox weddings and vanished orchards, a soldier’s ghosts, a walk through Van Gogh’s canvases, nuclear nightmares, and a water-mill utopia—meditate on childhood, art, mortality, and humanity’s uneasy bond with nature.
King Kong vs. GodzillaKing Kong vs. Godzilla · 1962
King Kong vs. Godzilla
6.91962
MovieScience FictionFantasy
The advertising director of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, frustrated with the low ratings of their sponsored TV program, seeks a more sensationalist approach. He orders his staff to Faro Island to capture King Kong for exploitation. As Godzilla re-emerges, a media frenzy generates with Pacific looking to capitalize off of the ultimate battle.
Varan the UnbelievableVaran the Unbelievable · 1962
Varan the Unbelievable
4.41962
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
In an effort to find an economic means of purifying salt water, a joint U.S.-Japanese military command is set up on an isolated Japanese island where an unusual salt water lake is situated. However, their purifying experiments arouse the prehistoric monster Obaki from hibernation at the lake's bottom, and it proceeds to attack Japan. Although made by a U.S. independent film company, this film was based on a Japanese Toho monster film of 1958, "Daikaiju Varan", from which all of the monster effects scenes and a few incidental dramatic shots were edited into it.
GorathGorath · 1962
Gorath
6.51962
MovieScience FictionAction
In 1976, a drifting star named Gorath is discovered to be on a collision course with Earth. Although it is smaller than Earth, its enormous mass is enough to destroy the planet totally. A mission sent to observe Gorath is destroyed after the ship is drawn into the star, with a later mission barely escaping the same fate. However, Astronaut Tatsuma Kanai is left in a catatonic state due to his near death experience. Unable to destroy the invading star, Earth's scientists undertake a desperate plan to build giant rockets at the South Pole to move the planet out of Gorath's path before it is too late.
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed MonsterGhidorah, the Three-Headed Monster · 1964
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
7.01964
MovieScience FictionAction
After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.
Samurai KidsSamurai Kids · 1993
Samurai Kids
7.51993
MovieAdventureFantasy
With the help of a six-inch-tall ancient samurai warrior, a lonely young environmentalist finds self-confidence and new companionship in protecting Japan's beautiful naturality from human mismanagement.
GodzillaGodzilla · 1977
Godzilla
6.81977
MovieScience FictionHorror
A re-edited Italian-language dubbed version of the original Godzilla, using as a basis the U.S. version, "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" (1956), plus WWII newsreel footage and clips from other science fiction films. The re-edited film was then colorized via a process called "Spectrorama 70" consisting of applying various colored gels to the black and white footage. The film's opening and ending also features new music composed by musicians Fabio Frizzi, Franco Bixio, and Vince Tempera (under the pseudonym Magnetic System).
Invasion of Astro-MonsterInvasion of Astro-Monster · 1965
Invasion of Astro-Monster
6.81965
MovieScience FictionAction
Astronauts Glenn and Fuji investigate Planet X and encounter mysterious aliens known as the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". In exchange for borrowing Godzilla and Rodan, the Xiliens offer a cure for cancer. As Glenn investigates, he develops a romance with Miss Namikawa and uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.
Mothra vs. GodzillaMothra vs. Godzilla · 1964
Mothra vs. Godzilla
7.01964
MovieDramaAction
Journalists Ichiro Sakai and Junko cover the wreckage of a typhoon when an enormous egg is found and claimed by greedy entrepreneurs. Mothra's fairies arrive and are aided by the journalists in a plea for its return. As their requests are denied, Godzilla arises near Nagoya and the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.
Stray DogStray Dog · 1949
Stray Dog
7.61949
MovieCrimeDrama
A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side.
Bloodthirsty HawkBloodthirsty Hawk · 1977
Bloodthirsty Hawk
9.01977
MovieScience FictionHorror
A mining community discovers that men are dying from unknown circumstances which leads to the discovery of a giant flying monster vulture by the name of Rodan that promptly attacks Japan.
MadadayoMadadayo · 1993
Madadayo
7.31993
MovieDramaComedy
In postwar Tokyo, beloved writer-professor Hyakken Uchida retires and is buoyed through hardship by the fierce devotion of his former students, who honor him each year with a raucous “Not yet!” birthday toast. Told in warm, gently comic vignettes, Kurosawa’s farewell celebrates aging, friendship, and the sustaining ritual of teacher and pupils refusing to say goodbye.
RodanRodan · 1956
Rodan
6.51956
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
Mining engineer Shigeru investigates the disappearance and death of his fellow coworkers when prehistoric nymphs are discovered emerging from the mines. After an attack on the local village, Shigeru heads deeper into the mines only to make a more horrifying discovery in the form a prehistoric flying creature. Soon a second monster appears as the two converge in Fukuoka.
King Kong EscapesKing Kong Escapes · 1967
King Kong Escapes
6.21967
MovieActionFantasy
An adaptation of the Rankin/Bass cartoon, "The King Kong Show". King Kong is brought in by the evil Dr. Who to dig for Element X in a mine when the robot Mechani-Kong is unable to do the task. This leads to the machine and the real Kong engaging in a tremendous battle atop Tokyo Tower.
MothraMothra · 1961
Mothra
7.21961
MovieAdventureScience Fiction
Shipwreck survivors found on the presumably uninhabited Infant Island leads to a scientific expedition that discovers a surviving native population along with the Shobijin, tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity called Mothra. After the fairies are kidnapped by an exploitative businessman named Clark Nelson, Mothra sets out to rescue them.
Destroy All MonstersDestroy All Monsters · 1968
Destroy All Monsters
6.91968
MovieScience FictionAction
At the turn of the century, all of the Earth's monsters have been rounded up and kept safely on Monsterland. Chaos erupts when a race of she-aliens known as the Kilaaks unleash the monsters across the world.
Half Human: The Story of the Abominable SnowmanHalf Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman · 1957
Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman
3.51957
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
An American scientist tells two colleagues about the finding of an abominable snowman living in the Japanese alps, where it is worshipped by a remote tribe as a god, and how it was discovered by modern man after it raided a skiers shelter following an avalanche, killing all inside. This is an adaptation of the Japanese film "Jūjin Yuki Otoko" (1955) with added American-made footage, narration, and music.
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!Godzilla, King of the Monsters! · 1956
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
6.51956
MovieScience FictionHorror
During an assignment, foreign correspondent Steve Martin spends a layover in Tokyo and is caught amid the rampage of an unstoppable prehistoric monster the Japanese call 'Godzilla'. The only hope for both Japan and the world lies on a secret weapon, which may prove more destructive than the monster itself.
MatangoMatango · 1963
Matango
6.71963
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
Five vacationers and two crewmen become stranded on a tropical island near the equator. The island has little edible food for them to use as they try to live in a fungus covered hulk while repairing Kessei's yacht. Eventually they struggle over the food rations which were left behind by the former crew. Soon they discover something unfriendly there...

TV Shows

Return of UltramanReturn of Ultraman · 1971
Return of Ultraman
8.51971
SeriesSci-Fi & Fantasy
Another being from Nebula M-78, identical to the original Ultraman, combines with car racer-turned-MAT patrol member Hideki Gô, and fights assorted menaces in a frightening new "Age of Monsters."
Zone FighterZone Fighter · 1973
Zone Fighter
7.81973
SeriesSci-Fi & Fantasy
Zone Fighter, known in Japan as Ryūsei Ningen Zone, is a tokusatsu science fiction superhero television series. Produced by Toho Company Ltd., the show aired on Nippon Television from April 2 to September 24, 1973, with a total of 26 episodes, it was cancelled due to the oil crisis of 1973. This was Toho's answer to not only the popular Ultra Series, but the Henshin Hero phenomenon started by shows like Kamen Rider and Android Kikaider. The previous year, Toho had just made their successful first superhero show, Rainbowman. The series was also notable for its guest appearance by Toho's own Godzilla, as well as two other Toho monsters, King Ghidorah and Gigan. Supplementary materials published by Toho have confirmed Zone Fighter to be part of the Showa-era Godzilla series, taking place in between Godzilla vs. Megalon and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.