Ishiro Honda: a Study of His Life and Works

Ishiro Honda was born May 07,1911 in Yamagata, Japan. He is best known for directing the Godzilla films, and has won several awards. To some his name may seem a tad strange, but it actually means the fourth boy in the family, which is significant to Japanese culture. Ishiro was surely a man with a vision, he loved sci-fi and science and incorporated much of this into his film making. From an early age, his family knew that he would go on to do great things. Ishiro was a man of action, he accomplished everything he put his mind to.

Unfortunately, in 1993, this creative director passed away. He was nearly 81 years old, and was surrounded by good health prior to this death. Many people were both shocked and saddened by this death. Many were screaming RIP and were worried no more Godzilla movies would come to be. Although he was worldly known and very popular, he still made a lot of time for his friends. During his last few years on earth he lent his directing talents to one of his friends Akira Kurosawa, for his personal films. Honda actually directed several parts of his friends film, which was called “Dreams” He was a man of his word and a man of great, strong, relationships with those he loved. We could all certainly learn from this man.

Honda was a man who let nothing get in his way of what he loved. Even during his later years, when he became ill and fragile, he dedicated his time to film. This is what made him happy and nothing could take his legacy or passion away. Godzilla movies are timeless, and people are still enjoying them today. Personally, I have watched several of these movies, including the original, and although the technology is a little ancient, one can still enjoy in the plot and action of such films.

One trade mark that Honda included in his films was often having scenes included in his films that reflected his feelings during WW2. These were incorporated by including humans being crowded and ambushed. The war was a huge impact on his films, and his life in general. This war was said to be one of the worst ones, luckily this talented man had survived it. He speaks fondly of the matter, because if it wasn’t for these events, many of his production would not have been born. Honda was a fighter, and despite his difficulties in life, he continued to persist. A quality that isn’t found too often today. Instead of learning from bad experiences, people tend to let them hold them back.

A famous quote said by Honda is: “Monsters are born too tall, too strong, too heavy, that is their tragedy.” I think what he means by this is that humans fear monsters because of this reasoning, when in fact, monsters are not as bad as we think. Although, the monster Godzilla is depicted as scary and ferocious. In my opinion, the real monsters one should worry about are other human beings. Honda was sort of mysterious, he said things like this that makes audiences wonder what he’s trying to say.

The legacy of Honda will forever be in the hearts of his fans. Even with him being dead nearly 24 years now, people still watch these films worldwide. I think thatthis is an indicater of how well he did on Earth. No one can ever forget this man, because his works were great and plenty. His perseverance is impecible, and I desire to be as successful as he was. After conducting this research, I can see why this man has won so many awards and recognitions. We can all aim to incorporate his favorable characteristics into our own lives.