"Kwaidan", Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1965, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) ZA914

This is an original Japanese B2 poster from the first-release campaign for Masaki Kobayashi’s Kwaidan (怪談)—the towering, four-part ghost-story anthology adapted from the writings of Lafcadio Hearn (小泉八雲). Celebrated for its dreamlike, studio-built worlds, bold colour design, and haunting sense of stillness, Kwaidan remains one of the most visually influential works in Japanese cinema.

Design
A striking, collage-driven Japan-market variant: an enormous, mask-like female visage dominates the composition, surrounded by a constellation of character portraits and folkloric fragments—inked calligraphy textures, ritual imagery, and a sense of theatrical staging that feels closer to fine art montage than conventional film advertising. The monumental white brush-calligraphy title 「怪談」 explodes across the lower half like a spell, while a lone figure seen from behind anchors the scene in eerie silence. The musical-staff border at the top and bottom adds an uncanny “operatic” framing—perfectly in tune with the film’s stylised, otherworldly atmosphere.

Condition
Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.

This poster is an original Japanese theatrical B2 from the 1965 first-release campaign.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is over 60 years old!

Certificate of Authenticity included.