“Godzilla Raids Again” (ゴジラの逆襲), Framed Original Ultra Rare Japanese first‑release 3‑fold movie advertisement for Toho’s 1955 kaijū sequel — Size: c. 25.7 × 36.1 cm GA11
Original Japanese first‑release era (1955) promotional paper for Toho’s Godzilla Raids Again (literally “Godzilla’s Counterattack”), presented as a dramatic green‑tinted monochrome advertisement built around the franchise’s first true “monster‑vs‑monster” spectacle: Godzilla locked in combat with the new kaijū Anguirus (アンギラス). Issued as a three‑fold piece as a movie ad / promotional paper, it’s a striking snapshot of mid‑1950s Japanese theatrical marketing.
This has been professionally mounted and framed as shown in a modern black frame with an off‑white mount and clear glazing. Sold framed as photographed—ready to hang and an instant centerpiece for any Godzilla or tokusatsu collection.
Why this matters
If Godzilla (1954) is the ignition point, Godzilla Raids Again (1955) is the moment the series mutates into a continuing kaijū saga. It introduces Anguirus—Godzilla’s first on‑screen monster opponent—and establishes the template for later Showa‑era match‑ups: two colossal creatures, human panic at the margins, and special‑effects spectacle scaled to “impossible.” First‑release Japanese paper is the closest you can get to how audiences originally encountered these films in real time—sold not as pop iconography, but as a terrifying, earth‑shaking fight to the death.
About this piece
Format: one original Japanese 3‑fold promotional advertisement
Main / display side: Full composition for ゴジラの逆襲, with the giant title across the top, the central battle still of Godzilla vs. Anguirus, reaction portraits of the human cast along the bottom edge, and Toho branding including the 東宝 roundel.
Back side: A dense, highly collectible Toho lineup / program grid featuring multiple 1950s titles and graphics (including large panels for 制服の乙女たち and 処女雪, plus a strip of additional releases and the bold calligraphy 「傑作そろい 大東宝12大作」).
Credits printed on the Godzilla side include 原作 香山滋 (Kayama Shigeru), 監督 小田基義 (Oda Motoyoshi), and 特技監督 円谷英二 (Tsuburaya Eiji), with cast names printed in vertical columns (including 志村喬, 清水将夫, 土屋嘉男, 若山セツ子, 千秋実, 小泉博, as shown).
Design & iconography
Godzilla side (primary display)
A bold, poster‑like layout: a massive title banner, one dominant combat image, and hard‑selling vertical copy.
Central monster image: Godzilla and Anguirus grapple in a rugged mountain landscape—an immediately readable “kaijū clash” tableau that feels like a news photograph from an impossible disaster.
Title treatment: The oversized block characters 「ゴジラの逆襲」 run across the top like slabs of stone, visually matching the monsters’ weight.
Human reaction strip: Along the bottom, expressive portraits—panic, shock, urgent pointing—sell the scale of the threat and keep the audience anchored to human stakes.
Inset stills: Two small boxed images at the bottom center highlight additional beats of the fight, reinforcing that the main attraction is the duel itself.
Studio mark: The Toho roundel 「東宝」 sits at lower right, with a production line along the bottom including 「東宝株式会社製作」.
Copy & selling points (right‑side vertical text):
The ad leans into primal stakes and “new monster” hype—eat or be eaten, and a new kaijū challenging Godzilla in an earth‑shaking death match.
Reverse side (secondary, but historically rich)
A busy, collage‑like Toho slate advertisement—part studio brochure, part cinema program—mixing star portraits, dramatic stills, large brush‑script titles, and a row of narrow title strips that reads like a 1955 Toho release calendar. It’s a fantastic period companion to the Godzilla front, situating the film inside Toho’s broader post‑war output.
Translations of the main captions
Main title: 「ゴジラの逆襲」 — “Godzilla’s Counterattack” (known in English as Godzilla Raids Again).
Right‑side vertical copy (key phrases):
「喰うか喰われるか」 — “Eat, or be eaten?”
「ゴジラにいどむ」 — “Challenging Godzilla.”
「新怪獣アンギラス」 — “The new monster: Anguirus.”
「驚天動地の大死斗」 — “An earth‑shaking great fight to the death.”
「東宝が再び放つ 世紀の巨篇！」 — “Toho unleashes once again an epic of the century!”
Production line (bottom): 「東宝株式会社製作」 — “Produced by Toho Co., Ltd.”
Rarity & significance
Authentic first‑release era Japanese Godzilla paper—especially advertisements that were never meant to survive—is increasingly hard to find. This example is especially desirable because it spotlights the franchise’s first major kaijū‑vs‑kaijū matchup, with Anguirus promoted as a headline “new monster,” and because the reverse preserves a time‑capsule Toho release slate from the same period.
Condition
Excellent for age. Original tri‑folded sheet with fold lines as issued; overall warm toning consistent with mid‑1950s magazine paper. Light handling wear and minor edge softness may be present, but the image and text remain strong, crisp, and displayable, with bold title blocks and clear credits.
The piece has been professionally mounted and framed in a modern black frame with an off‑white mat and clear glazing. Frame and mount are clean and ready to display. Please review the photos—this is the exact item offered.
Details
Country: Japan
Year of issue: 1955 (first release)
Size: approx. 25.7 × 36.1 cm open (about 10.12 × 14.21 in, B4‑type); 3‑fold (folds to approx. 25.7 × 12.0 cm)
Printing: Original Japanese printing; not a reproduction
Format: Movie advertisement
Verso: Toho multi‑title lineup advertisement (including 制服の乙女たち, 処女雪, and additional releases)
Authentication: COA included
