Godzilla (ゴジラ Gojira) is a 1954 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Honda, Takeo Murata, and Shigeru Kayama, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Studios, it is the first film in the Godzilla franchise and the Shōwa period. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as Godzilla. In the film, scientists and politicians deal with the sudden appearance of a giant monster known as Godzilla, whose attacks trigger fears of nuclear holocaust during post-war Japan.