Ishiro Honda; Director of First ‘Godzilla’ Movie

Ishiro Honda, the Japanese director and writer who directed the first of the science fiction “Godzilla” movie imports, is dead, a spokesman for Kono Hospital in Tokyo said Monday. He was 81.

A hospital official declined to specify the cause of Honda’s death Sunday night, but the director had been reported suffering from respiratory problems.

More than 13 million moviegoers watched the first Godzilla film, directed by Honda in 1954 for Toho Co. In it a giant prehistoric monster is awakened by hydrogen bomb tests and stomps on most of Tokyo’s landmarks before being driven back into the water by a team of scientists and soldiers headed by actor Raymond Burr.

The horror film spawned a series of sequels in which Godzilla returns, sometimes to defend Japan against various threats, in others to battle with giant prehistoric animals such as King Kong. Godzilla’s popularity also was responsible for other monster creations such as Rodan, Manda and Mothra.

Toho said Honda, whose interest quickly turned to special effects, directed 45 films between 1951 and 1975, including about a dozen monster movies, including “Ring of the Monsters,” “Destroy All Monsters” and “Yog--Monster From Space.”