This is an original Japanese B2 movie poster printed in 1960 for the first Japanese release of Yasujirō Ozu’s Late Autumn (秋日和), released by Shochiku. A cinema-used example of the scarce Chihō-ban (地方版) / “Chihoban” style—a highly sought-after regional-issue format characterised by additional promotional copy and variant layout, encountered far less frequently than the standard national designs.
Film background
Released in 1960, Late Autumn is one of Ozu’s essential late-period colour works—an exquisitely balanced drama of family expectation, social obligation, and the quiet negotiations of marriage and independence in post-war Japan. Often discussed as a thematic companion to Ozu’s earlier domestic masterpieces, the film refines his signature restraint into something gently humorous, deeply humane, and emotionally precise.
Poster design
A striking Shochiku full-colour design (with the colour-process credit 総天然色 and Agfa / Shochiku colour wording present as printed), this Chihō-ban B2 is distinguished by its bold portrait-led composition and added regional marketing copy. The design layers principal cast imagery with sweeping red brush-calligraphy for the title 「秋日和」, while the left margin carries prominent vertical promotional text—an immediately recognisable hallmark of the provincial-issue style. Additional studio/presentation details (including the Shochiku branding and period typography) reinforce the sheet’s prestige, theatrical intent.
Condition
Very Good (display-strong), especially for a theatre-used Japanese B2 of this vintage. Unbacked.
Printed on thin, delicate Japanese stock, the poster remains highly presentable.
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Age-consistent fold wear and soft creasing (including visible fold lines through the image and title areas).
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Edge and corner wear consistent with theatrical handling: light fraying and small nicks to the margins, with minor edge tears/roughness most apparent along the upper-left/left margin (see detail photographs).
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Surface handling: scattered gentle creases and light rubs typical of cinema-used material; colours remain pleasing and the sheet presents strongly once framed.
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Verso shows expected age-toning, fold wear and thin-paper offset/ghosting from the front, with a few scattered small brown spots/marks consistent with period storage and use.
Overall, a well-preserved, displayable example of an ultra-rare Chihō-ban B2 for one of Ozu’s definitive colour-era works.
It is over 65 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
