Original Japanese 1970s Movie Posters (1970–1979)

Explore Japan Poster Shop’s extensive collection of original Japanese movie posters from the 1970s (1970–1979), featuring rare and historically significant theatrical artwork from one of the most influential decades in cinema and graphic design.

The 1970s witnessed an extraordinary transformation in international filmmaking, from the emergence of the modern Hollywood blockbuster and groundbreaking science-fiction cinema to the flourishing of Japanese cult films, experimental filmmaking and European art-house cinema. Japanese theatrical posters from this period are particularly celebrated for their bold illustrations, dramatic photography, vivid colours and adventurous typography, frequently featuring artwork created specifically for the Japanese market.

Of particular significance is our exceptional selection of original Japanese Star Wars posters, produced for the film’s first Japanese theatrical release in 1978. These highly collectible posters include rare first-release designs, distinctive illustrated variants, advance promotional material and unusual advertising formats. The original Japanese campaign for George Lucas’s landmark film represents one of the most important chapters in the history of science-fiction poster design.

Our collection also encompasses original Japanese theatrical posters for celebrated international films such as The Godfather (1972), The Exorcist (1973), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Jaws (1975), Taxi Driver (1976), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Superman (1978), Alien (1979) and numerous other landmarks of the decade.

The 1970s were equally significant for Japanese cinema, with the emergence of influential filmmakers and distinctive genres including yakuza films, pink cinema, experimental productions, horror and Japanese New Wave filmmaking. Directors such as Kinji Fukasaku, Seijun Suzuki, Nagisa Ōshima, Shōhei Imamura and Toshiya Fujita helped shape the period’s cinematic identity, while films such as Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973), Lady Snowblood (1973) and House (1977) produced some of the most memorable Japanese theatrical artwork of the era.

Our holdings also celebrate the extraordinary tradition of European and international art-house cinema, including Japanese theatrical posters for films by Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Ingmar Bergman, Luis Buñuel, Jean-Luc Godard and other internationally acclaimed filmmakers.

Of particular interest are our rare original Japanese B2 and B1 theatrical posters, exceptionally scarce STB Tatekan formats, large-format billboards, first-release examples, advance promotional designs and unusual advertising variants. Many surviving examples are now approaching or exceeding fifty years of age, with scarce designs and outstanding-condition copies becoming increasingly difficult to acquire.

These original posters represent an important intersection of Japanese graphic design, international film history and the visual culture of the 1970s, combining historical significance with exceptional artistic appeal.

Every poster offered by Japan Poster Shop is an authentic original, carefully sourced in Japan and individually catalogued. We do not sell reproductions. All posters are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, with worldwide DHL Express shipping available from our gallery in Tokyo.