Shin'ichi Chûjô

Doctor Shin'ichi Chûjô is a fictional scientist and a supporting character in the Godzilla and Mothra film projects. Played by actor Hiroshi Koizumi, he first appeared in Mothra in 1961. Four decades later, Koizumi reprised the role of Chûjô in Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., which also stands as the actor's final film role.

Biography
Shin'ichi Chûjô was a scientist and linguist whose specialty was in the field of anthropology. He lived in the town of Karuizawa in the Kitasaku District of Nagano Prefecture in Japan. In 1961, the Japanese government and the nation of Rolisica sponsored an expedition to Infant Island to study the affects of radiation on some of the marooned survivor of the shipwrecked vessel, the Daini-Gen'you-Maru. Doctor Chûjô was one of the members of the team. Chûjô was familiar with the cultures of the island's primitive inhabitants, as well as those of neighboring islands. He was the first to interpret the symbology of a crucifix star hieroglyph, which he called Mothra.

While exploring the island, was attacked by a killer mutant plant. He was saved by the presence of two female fairies that were only twelve-inches tall. These "small beauties" came to be known as the Shobijin.

Back on the mainland, Chûjô discovered that members of the expedition had returned to the island and kidnapped the Shobijin, hoping to exploit them. The Shobijin communicated with Doctor Chûjô via telepathy, warning him that their island god, Mothra, has been angered and that good people may be hurt as a consequence of the actions of others.

The man who had kidnapped the Shobijin, Clark Nelson, fled with them, but the monstrous caterpillar, Mothra, pursued them ultimately leading to a shootout between Clark and local law enforcement, which resulted in Nelson's demise. Afterward, Doctor Chûjô took custody of the Shobijin and arranged for their transport back to Infant Island (courtesy of Mothra).

In the intervening years, Shin'ichi Chûjô remained in Nagano Prefecture, where he raised a family. He had a nephew named Yoshito Chûjô and a grandson named Syun.

Forty-three years after his adventure on Infant Island, Doctor Chûjô received a visit at his home from two different Shobijin. They knew of Chûjô's history with their predecessors, and believed that he was a man that could be trusted. Members of the Japanese Xenomorph Self-Defense Force (JXSDF) had constructed a cybernetic anti-monster defense robot called Kiryu, or MechaGodzilla by harvesting the bones of the original Godzilla from Tokyo Bay. The Shobijin told Chûjô that using Godzilla's bones in such a way was considered blasphemous and that Kiryu had to be dismantled and Godzilla's bones returned to the sea. If not, Japan would once again become a target for Mothra's anger.

Notes & Trivia



 * Playing the role of Shin'ichi Chûjô is actor Hiroshi Koizumi's final film role.