Photo/Illutration The head of the straw Godzilla (TM & © TOHO CO., LTD) is seen in Chikuzen, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Nov. 7. (Soichiro Yamamoto)

CHIKUZEN, Fukuoka Prefecture—A community here has turned to the King of Monsters to scare away birds in a record-setting project.

A Godzilla scarecrow, standing 10 meters tall and weighing 5.7 tons, was built in this town on the southern main island of Kyushu.

Its steel frame skeleton, rectangular lumber and bamboo hold straw matting that creates the image of Godzilla.

It is the latest in a series of “gigantic straw scarecrows” in the community.

Around 300 people ranging from junior high school students to elderly citizens were enlisted to build the scarecrow. It took one-and-a-half months to complete.

Members of Chikuzen-machi Wakkamon Kai (Chikuzen town youth association), a local group for community revitalization, played a central role in the project.

The Godzilla scarecrow was recognized by Guinness World Records as the “largest straw sculpture (supported) of a fictional character.”

Gigantic straw scarecrows have been made annually under different themes in Chikuzen town since 2015.

Past scarecrows have included a wild boar, a Zero fighter, a tyrannosaur and a big Buddha statue.

This time, the workers used 2.5 times as much rice straw as they would in a typical year.

Godzilla was chosen as the motif of this year for a reason.

The movie “Godzilla Minus One” was released last year and became a smash hit in both Japan and the United States.

The work featured a Shinden, a prototype fighter plane of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

A model of the Shinden used during the shooting of the film is on display at the Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum in Chikuzen.

The Godzilla scarecrow will remain in the Fureai Farm section of Yasunosato Park in Chikuzen until late February.

It will be illuminated on evenings of days that include the figure 5 in the date until the end of the year.

Related News