“Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War” (仁義なき戦い 代理戦争), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1973, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) O691
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1973 for Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War (仁義なき戦い 代理戦争), directed by Kinji Fukasaku (深作欣二)—the landmark first entry in Toei’s jitsuroku (“true record”) yakuza cycle. Based on material credited to Kōichi Iiboshi (飯干晃一), the series detonated the romanticised ninkyō-era gangster myth and replaced it with something harsher, dirtier, and politically charged.
Film background
Set against the post-war chaos of Hiroshima, Proxy War follows the violent realignment of gangs as American occupation, local power brokers, and shifting alliances turn street-level loyalty into an expendable currency. With Bunta Sugawara at the centre, Fukasaku’s handheld urgency and documentary-like grit became one of the defining styles of 1970s Japanese cinema—and a foundational influence on later crime filmmaking worldwide.
Poster design
One of the most arresting visual statements in the entire franchise: a stark crane hook suspends a limp body against a scorched, newsprint-collage ground, while blood-red brush lettering slashes through the composition. The layout feels like a crime scene and a newspaper front page colliding—exactly the jitsuroku ethos in poster form: no glamour, only consequence.
Notable text printed on the sheet includes:
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「広島やくざ抗争、遂にドロ沼へ！」 (“The Hiroshima yakuza conflict finally sinks into a quagmire!”)
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「血しぶき代理戦争」 (“Blood-splattered proxy war”)
Condition
Excellent / Near Mint. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
This poster is an original 1973 Japanese theatrical issue—not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is over 53 years old!
Certificate of Authenticity included.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
