Eikō Maru was a fictional Japanese vessel which made its first and only appearance in the 1954 Godzilla film, Godzilla.
Appearance[]
The Eiko Maru wasn't fully seen in its short screen time, with the only proper wide angles of the ship being shown as it was engulfed in flames and sinking.
History[]
Godzilla - Godzilla, King of the Monsters![]
The Eiko Maru is sailing from Japan with a full capacity of passengers and crew onboard. The passengers are sitting on the upper deck, relaxing and watching the sea, when the Eikou Maru is struck by a mysterious light, setting the ship on fire and killing most of its passengers and crew.
As the ship's captain and his navigators try to send a message via Morse Code, they drown after the ship's windows implode. The destruction of the Eikō Maru resulted in the voyage of the Bingo Maru, which was also ultimately destroyed by the same light.
Trivia[]
- The Eikou Maru is the first vehicle to appear in any Godzilla series film. It also holds the distinction of being the very first object to appear in Toho's kaiju films.
- The destruction of the Eikou Maru may be seen as an allegory to the Lucky Dragon 5 incident that occurred in 1954. Although the Lucky Dragon 5 was not destroyed, it was irradiated by fallout from the Castle Bravo thermonuclear test on Bikini Atoll, with its crew dying shortly afterwards from radiation sickness.
List of appearances[]
- Godzilla (First appearance)