“Akutō” / 「悪党」, Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1965, Kaneto Shindō / Jun’ichirō Tanizaki / Kyōko Kishida / Eitarō Ozawa, STB Size (51 × 145 cm) E282

This is a rare original Japanese STB theatrical poster for Akutō / 「悪党」, the 1965 Toho period drama written and directed by Kaneto Shindō, based on Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s play 「顔世」. The film was released by Toho in Japan in 1965 and is also known in English as Conquest.

This large-format STB poster is especially desirable because of its extraordinary visual presence: huge red calligraphic title typography, ghostly period imagery, battlefield silhouettes, and a lower section dominated by haunting eyes and spectral figures. It is one of the most striking Japanese poster designs connected to Shindō’s 1960s cinema.

Film background
Set during the violent upheaval of the Nanboku-chō period, Akutō adapts Tanizaki’s historical drama of desire, power, obsession, and tragedy. The story centres on the powerful figure of Kō no Moronao, whose pursuit of the beautiful Kaoyo sets in motion a dark and destructive chain of events.

The film stars Eitarō Ozawa, Kyōko Kishida, Jūkichi Uno, Nobuko Otowa, Isao Kimura, Taiji Tonoyama, and Kōji Takahashi, with Shindō bringing his characteristically stark psychological intensity to the world of historical drama. The result is a highly stylised jidaigeki: less a conventional samurai film than a vision of lust, violence, authority, and spiritual unease.

Poster design
This Japanese STB poster is a superb large-format composition. The upper section is dominated by the title 「悪党」, painted in enormous red brushstroke kanji over a pale, flame-like background. The title alone gives the poster immense visual force, functioning almost like a work of calligraphy.

Around the title, the design places period battle silhouettes, sword-wielding figures, and vertical cast and crew credits. The Toho mark appears at upper right, while the credits identify Jun’ichirō Tanizaki as original author and Kaneto Shindō as screenwriter and director.

The lower half shifts into a darker, almost supernatural register. A vast monochrome face fills the background, its eyes staring out through a grainy, ghostlike texture. In front are dramatic portraits of the women and warriors of the film, with figures carrying severed heads and weapons across the bottom edge. The effect is ominous, theatrical, and distinctly Japanese — part period drama, part psychological nightmare.

The poster’s long STB format gives the design exceptional scale. The image unfolds vertically like a scroll: title, flames, warriors, haunted faces, and procession of violence.

The STB format
The STB format measures approximately 51 × 145 cm, making it far taller and more imposing than a standard Japanese B2. These large-format posters were produced in much smaller numbers and are difficult to find in strong condition, particularly for 1960s Japanese cinema.

For Akutō, the format is especially effective. The tall proportions allow the red title and lower ghostly imagery to breathe, giving the poster a commanding, museum-like presence when framed.

Condition
Excellent to near mint vintage condition. Please review the photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.

The poster presents beautifully, with deep blacks, vivid red calligraphy, strong photographic contrast, clean typography, and exceptional overall display impact. The reverse is clean overall, and only very light signs of age, storage, or handling are visible, consistent with careful preservation of an original 1960s Japanese large-format theatrical poster.

This is an original 1965 Japanese STB theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is over 60 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.