“Dodes’ka-den” (どですかでん), Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1970, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) H239

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1970 for the first Japanese release of Dodes’ka-den (どですかでん), directed by Akira Kurosawa and based on a novel by Shūgorō Yamamoto. It was Kurosawa’s first film in colour, a major turning point in his career and visual language.

Dodes’ka-den is an unusual, bold, and deeply human ensemble film—set on the margins of society and told through a mosaic of interwoven lives. The title is an onomatopoeic phrase—どですかでん—mimicking the sound of a train (“clickety-clack”), reflecting the film’s blend of innocence, hardship, and imagination.

On its initial release in Japan, the film struggled commercially and critically. Internationally, however, it drew strong attention and later received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. The difficult domestic reception contributed to a period of severe personal crisis for Kurosawa in the early 1970s—one of the most documented turning points in his life—before his later return to major international productions.

Poster design
One of the most striking and collectible Kurosawa designs of the era: a vibrant, hand-drawn, almost childlike collage of characters and scenes, anchored by the rainbow-ring motif repeating the film’s title どですかでん around its arc. The sheet carries Kurosawa’s stylised signature “Akira Kurosawa” within the artwork and the bold yellow credit 監督 黒澤明 (“Directed by Akira Kurosawa”)—a stunning, gallery-ready composition and a true standout among 1970s Japanese film posters.

It is over 55 years old!

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

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.