Keizô Murase

Costume & Make-Up

Keizô Murase

Born — Died

1935-10-05 — 2024-10-14

Place of birth

Ikeda, Tokachi, Hokkaido, Japan

Known for

Costume & Make-Up

Credits

3 titles

Keizō Murase (村瀬継蔵, Murase Keizō; October 5, 1935 – October 14, 2024) was a Japanese suitmaker, stuntman, sculptor, modeller, and film director. He is particularly well known for his work in giant monster films, including Mothra (1961), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), and The Mighty Peking Man (1977). In 1958, Toho hired Murase to sculpt the Varan suit for Varan the Unbelievable. An amateur photographer, Murase extensively documented his work, which was published in his 2015 autobiography, Monster Maker: Keizo Murase. After working for Daiei Film on Gamera, he, Masao Yagi, and Akira Suzuki founded the modelling company Ex Productions; he later left in 1972 to form his own company, Twenty. M…

Known for

The Mighty Peking Man poster
5.1

Word of a monster ape ten stories tall living in the Himalayas reaches fortune hunters in Hong Kong. They travel to India to capture it, but wild animals and quicksand dissuade all but Johnny, an adventurer with a broken heart. He finds the monster and discovers it's been raising a scantily-clad woman, Samantha, since she survived a plane crash years before that killed her parents. In the idyllic jungle, Johnny and Samantha fall in love. Then Johnny asks her to convince "Utam" to go to Hong Kong. Lu Tien, an unscrupulous promoter, takes over: Utam is in chains for freak show exhibitions. When Lu Tien assaults Samantha, Utam's protective instincts take over: havoc in Hong Kong.

The Mighty Peking Man

1977

Keizo Murase: The Last Monster Maker poster
NR

Artist. Innovator. Teacher. Inspiration. From his humble beginnings as a modeling assistant in 1958 to his acclaimed directorial debut, Brush of the God in 2024, the legendary Keizo Murase spent his career dedicated to the art of monster making, bringing life to many of Japan’s most iconic and beloved kaiju characters. But behind every rampaging monster and transforming superhero were the hands of a dedicated artist, whose contributions to the Japanese film industry might have been forgotten, if not for a dedicated group of close friends, longtime admirers, and fans from every corner of the globe. For the first time in the English-speaking world, the life and career of this singular creative visionary is revealed and celebrated in a feature-length tribute that sheds detailed light on the accomplishments of Japan’s last great monster maker, and preserves the stories of those who knew and loved him best.

Keizo Murase: The Last Monster Maker

2026

Brush of the God poster
8.2

While attending the funeral of her special effects artist grandfather, Akari and her classmate Takuya, a tokusatsu fanatic, come across a film prop that sucks them into the world of fearsome giant monsters. To find their way home, they must unlock the secrets of this fantasy world.

Brush of the God

2024

Film credits

2020s · 1 titles

Behind the camera