“Godzilla” speaks at his alma mater

“ゴジラ”が母校で講演
“Godzilla” speaks at his alma mater

俳優・薩摩剣八郎さん身ぶり手ぶり
Actor Kenpachiro Satsuma’s body language

高尾野・江内小
Takaono/Euchi Elementary School

日本映画界が世界に誇る大スター・ゴジラが出水郡高尾野町に上陸—。縫いぐるみに入っている同町連戸野出身の俳優場剣八郎さん

Godzilla, the world-famous star of the Japanese film industry, has landed in Takaono-cho, Izumi-gun. Kenpachiro-san, an actor from the same town, […] is included in the costume.

東京都在住が二十日夜、母校の江内小学校で濃度した。

The Tokyo resident was infected on the night of the 20th at his alma mater, Euchi Elementary School.

200キロ余の縫いぐるみの中で死の思いも

Thoughts of death inside a suit weighing over 200 kg

速い動作できるよう示現流剣法を訓練

Training in Jigen-ryu Kenpo to move quickly

薩摩さんは江内小、中を卒業、昭和四十六年の「ゴジラ対ヘドラ」のヘドラ役でデビューし、その後五十九年からゴジラを演じ続け、すでに七作になる。

Mr. Satsuma graduated from Euchi Elementary and Junior High School and made his debut as Hedorah in “Godzilla vs. Hedorah” in 1971, and has continued to play Godzilla since 1984, making seven films in total.

今回の講演会は母校の小、中PTAが合同教育讀演会として企画したもので、依頼したところ本人も快く引き受けてくれた。

This lecture was planned by the elementary and junior high school PTAs of his alma mater as a joint educational event, and when I asked him to do so, he was happy to oblige.

会場となった江内小体育館はかわいい後輩たちゃその父母らで満杯。映画のメーキングのビデオが上映された後、薩摩さんが登壇し、「ゴジラと人生」のテーマで語った。

The venue, Enai Elementary School Gymnasium, was filled with cute junior ‘s parents. After the making of the movie video was shown, Satsuma took the stage and spoke on the theme of “Godzilla and Life.”

俳優になったいきさつや怪獣のなかに入るきっかけなど面白おかしく紹介した。「『ゴジラの薩摩”でなく薩摩のゴジラ』にしようとの心意気で臨んだ。でも感情表現は難しい」と、顔の見えない俳優としての苦労談も披露。ときには二百キロ『を超える縫いぐるみのなかで、死にそうな思いをしたことや、速い動作ができるよう示現流剣法の訓練をしたことなど、映画にまつわる隠れたエピソードも語った。

He gave a funny introduction to how he became an actor and how he got into monsters. “We approached the project with the intention of making it not ‘Godzilla’s Satsuma,’ but ‘Satsuma’s Godzilla.’ But it’s difficult to express emotions,” he said, talking about his struggles as an actor whose face cannot be seen. He also talked about hidden anecdotes related to the movie, such as how he felt like dying in the suit that weighed over 200 kilograms, and how he trained in Jigen-ryu swordsmanship to be able to move quickly.

身ぶり手ぶりを交えての講演で、縫いぐるみなしでもゴジラの雰囲気が伝わってくるほどだった。

The lecture included body language, and even without the suit, you could feel the atmosphere of Godzilla.

Caption

身ぶり手ぶりを交えて、ゴジラ俳優としての体験を語る薩摩さん

Mr. Satsuma talks about his experience as a Godzilla actor using body language.