Edo ni arawareta Kingu Kongu: Henge no maki

King Kong Arrives in Edo...

...was made either in 1934 or 1938, making it the very first kaiju ever filmed. It was a Japanese period piece in which King Kong destroys sections of ancient Tokyo, in former days was called Edo.

Edo being the period from 1603-1867 when Japan was isolated from the outer world in the period of (I believe) the 17th or 18th century. Granted, Kong invaded Japan (in this film at least), but in the Edo timeframe. They threw in some Caligari-esquire, expressionistic structures so's he'd have something to climb...! It sounds very strange!

Kong itself is said to look like a kaiju that Sid & Marty Krofft ("H.R. Pufnstuf") would have designed, a dodgey gorilla, in this movie, that grapples with not only a titan bumble bee, but at one point, ensnared in Moloogra's trap (a 20-story tall ant lion), the over-blown primate is harassed by troublesome mayflies! Sadly, this movie constitutes perhaps the most tragic loss to World Cinema since Disney pulled the plug on SONG OF THE SOUTH, (1946) --- or Cozzi's HERACLES (1983)

Sadly recorded as a lost film, it seems highly unlikely that a print of Edo ni arawareta Kingu Kongu still exists even in Japan.

A Japanese version of the RKO classic, it would be especially interesting to see due to the fact Fuminori Ohashi worked on the special effects. He also produced effects for the Godzilla movies, the 60s Toho versions of King Kong (such as Godzilla vs. King Kong) and worked on the original Planet of the Apes.

Considering giant monster movies are one Japan's most famous movie exports - and despite their ephemeral nature, were (and still are) highly entertaining, varied and influential - it's very sad that their earliest ancestor can no longer be seen trampling across the land in all his monotone splendor.