“Harakiri” (Seppuku – 切腹), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1962, Ultra Rare, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) - Linenbacked NM (G)
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster, printed in 1962 for the first Japanese release of Masaki Kobayashi’s Harakiri (切腹) (Seppuku)—one of the most revered works of post‑war Japanese cinema, released by Shochiku and starring Tatsuya Nakadai.
Film background
Released in 1962, Harakiri is widely regarded as a pinnacle of the jidaigeki (period drama) genre—at once formally austere and emotionally devastating. Set in the early Edo period, it follows rōnin Hanshirō Tsugumo, who arrives at a powerful clan estate requesting permission to perform ritual suicide. What begins as a “test of resolve” becomes a meticulously structured reckoning with feudal cruelty, institutional hypocrisy, and the brutal machinery behind the rhetoric of samurai honour. Kobayashi’s film remains a landmark of Japanese cinema for its moral force, stark visual discipline, and modernist intensity.
Poster design
This is the coveted red-and-black Shochiku B2 design, dominated by a monumental, ink‑like portrait of Nakadai’s haunted face rising from a saturated vermilion field. The title 「切腹」 detonates across the lower left in bold white brush-calligraphy (with the reading 「せっぷく」), while the bottom band anchors the composition with key character portraits and credits. It is an extraordinary piece of early‑1960s Japanese graphic design—severe, confrontational, and perfectly matched to the film’s moral thunder.
Condition
Excellent (close to Near Mint), linen‑backed and restored. This poster has been conservation linen‑backed with sympathetic restoration, resulting in an exceptionally clean, flat, and highly displayable sheet with strong colour saturation and crisp definition. Any earlier fold wear and handling marks have been substantially reduced through the backing/restoration process, and the poster now presents superbly and is immediately frame‑ready. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
It is over 63 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
