Bidding for this lot will end on Friday, December 5th. The auction will begin at 3:00PM GMT (7:00AM PST) and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Saturday, December 6th or Sunday, December 7th.
A practical pyrotechnic pistol from several Toho Studios Godzilla films, beginning with Ishiro Honda's Destroy All Monsters. During Godzilla's Showa era (1954-1975), this pistol appeared in Destroy All Monsters, and Jun Fukuda's Godzilla vs Gigan (1972) and Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974).
Godzilla is one of the most enduring film series of all time, running from 1954's Godzilla, right up to the Academy Award-winning Godzilla Minus One, released in 2023. The character has appeared on TV, in anime, literature and video games.
In Destroy All Monsters, the pistol is first seen being used by a Monsterland scientist during the fight against Moonlight SY-3 Captain Katsuo Yamabe (Akira Kubo) and his crew (the pyrotechnic capability is demonstrated here). It is later used by the Kilaak-controlled men who arrive to recover Monsterland head Dr Otani (Yoshio Tsuchiya) following his suicide.
In Godzilla vs Gigan, it is seen used by guards in the Godzilla Tower at World Children's Land, the base of operations for the M Space Hunter Nebula aliens. The handle is painted blue, but the original gold is still clearly visible.
In Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla, it is seen used by Alien Supreme Leader Kuronuma's (Goro Mutsumi) guards, who are part of the Black Hole Planet 3 invasion force, which controls Mechagodzilla from a secret lair in Okinawa.
The pistol is entirely custom-fabricated from turned aluminium and brass. The intricate trigger-operated practical firing mechanism can be seen by unscrewing the handle. This mechanism used flash paper (or similar) to create large muzzle flashes.
This is an incredibly rare piece of Japanese cinema history. Original pieces from the Showa era have not been sold on the open market before, and Toho Studios did not keep an archive of its props, so it only owns a small number of original items today. Dimensions: 27 cm x 5 cm x 13 cm (10.5" x 2" x 5")
A printed still of this lot is also included with its sale.
Contains mechanical components; see mechanical notice in the Terms and Conditions.
Estimate: £25,000 - 50,000 M
View all lots from TOHO STUDIOS: DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968)/GODZILLA VS GIGAN (1972)/GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA (1974)