One of the most ubiquitous monsters in Japanese science fiction,Mothra was first inducted into pop culture when Toho producer Tomoyuki Tanaka commissioned a trio of authors to pen a serialized novel approximately a giant insect. The completed novel served as the basic groundwork for a feature-length 1961 movie directed by Ishiro Honda, which in turn became a distinguished success in Japan as well as internationally.
Source: blastr.com