Monkey Sun

Monkey Sun (孫悟空, Son Gokū, lit. Sun Wukong) is a 1959 Japanese tokusatsu fantasy action film directed by Kajirō Yamamoto, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was based on Journey to the West written by Wu Cheng'en and was the second adaptation of the novel by Yamamoto and Tsuburaya, after 1940's Enoken's Sun Wukong.[1] It has never been released in the United States or dubbed and subtitled in English.[2]

For other uses, see Son Goku (disambiguation).
Monkey Sun
Theatrical release poster
Japanese name
Kanji孫悟空
Directed byKajirō Yamamoto
Screenplay byKajirō Yamamoto
Takeo Murata
Based onJourney to the West by Wu Cheng'en
Produced byTomoyuki Tanaka
StarringNorihei Miki
Yū Fujiki
Shoichi Hirose
Hideyo Amamoto
CinematographyHajime Koizumi
Edited byYoshitami Kuroiwa
Music byIkuma Dan
Color processColor
Production
company
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • April 19, 1959 (1959-04-19) (Japan)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Plot

The tale unfolds in Changan, capital of China during the Tang Dynasty. People are suffering and dying from floods, epidemics, and famine, and the Emperor believes he can save his country if he can obtain the holy script, San Tsang, from distant India. He discovers, however, that no one is willing to make the long journey because the roads to India are infested with savages and devils. The Emperor has a dream in which a hermit appears and tells him there is a brave boy, only 13 years old, by the name of Genjo who would be able to accomplish the mission. The Emperor summons the boy, gives him the name of San Tsang, after the name of the holy script, and sends him on the dangerous journey to India. San Tsang is first attacked by a band of savages and barely escapes death. When he is resting from exhaustion on the summit of a mountain, he hears strange music and notices a ray of light shining on him. Then appears Pon, messager of the goddess of Mercy, who leads him to a cave where  Sun Wu Kong has been confined for 500 years. Monkey King becomes San Tsang's first disciple to protect him on his long journey. Later they are joined by Pa Chieh and Wu Ching. The four are attacked by devils and spiders disguised in various forms, but finally San Tsang and his faithful followers reach the top of a mountain where they see their destination, India. The morning sun is shining on the snow-covered Himalayas, and the sweet voice of Pon is heard from the valley below.

Cast

Release

Monkey Sun was distributed theatrically in Japan by Toho on April 19, 1959 as a double feature with I Want to Be a Shellfish.[4] Kinema Club released the film on mail-order VHS in 1999;[4] a DVD release by Toho followed in 2021.[5]

References
  1. "Monkey Sun". www.tohokingdom.com. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  2. "孫悟空 (1959年の映画)", Wikipedia (in Japanese), 2021-03-04, retrieved 2021-03-05
  3. "孫悟空 (1959年の映画)", Wikipedia (in Japanese), 2021-01-08, retrieved 2021-02-28
  4. "孫悟空 (1959年の映画)", Wikipedia (in Japanese), 2022-06-22, retrieved 2022-06-22
  5. "Monkey Sun (1959) <Toho DVD Masterpiece Selection>". Amazon.jp. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
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