Kayama Shigeru

Born Yamada Kôji in Tokyo, Kayama Shigeru began his writing career while working for the Ministry of Finance, initially penning tanka poems. His major breakthrough came in 1946 when his short story "Orang Pendek's Revenge" won a contest held by The Jewel magazine. The story, featuring a mysterious ape-like creature, established his reputation for "cryptozoology" style fiction and allowed him to become a full-time writer by 1949.

In 1954, Toho producer Tanaka Tomoyuki recruited Kayama to develop the story for a new giant monster film. Kayama's draft for Godzilla (1954) introduced many of the film's core elements, including the creature effectively being a living nuclear weapon. He also wrote the original story for the sequel Godzilla Raids Again (1955) and the yeti-themed Half Human (1955).

Kayama also adapted the story for The Mysterians (1957) and continued to write until his death in 1975. His novella adaptations of the first two Godzilla films remain highly regarded by fans.