Sympathy for the Monsters: Ultraman’s Minority Perspective

Uehara Shōzō was born in Naha, Okinawa, in February 1937. After graduating from Chūō University in Tokyo he returned to Okinawa for a time due to tuberculosis. He went back to Tokyo at the invitation of Kinjō Tetsuo, supporting him through the creation of Ultraman.

Left: A statue of Ultraman in Tsuburaya Eiji’s hometown of Sukagawa, Fukushima Prefecture, unleashes a dose of Spacium rays. (Photo courtesy of Sukagawa City/© Jiji). Right: Ultra-heroes on parade at the 2014 Tokyo International Film Festival (© Jiji).

This diorama, displayed at an event in 2012, recreates a scene from “Urutora keibitai nishi e” (The Ultra Garrison Goes West), episodes 14 and 15 of Ultra Seven. The monster, King Joe, is rumored to have been named after its creator, scriptwriter Kinjō. (Photo: Rodrigo Reyes Marin/Aflo)

Kinjō Tetsuo (right) was born in Haebaruchō, Okinawa. Today, the grounds of the Shōfūen restaurant house the Kinjō Tetsuo Museum, which used to be the study where he worked. The writer’s desk is decorated with Ultraman figurines left by visiting fans. (Photo: Kinjō Tetsuo Museum)