“Oni no Uta / Song of the Devil” (鬼の詩), Original Japanese First Release Movie Poster 1975, ATG, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) E90A

This is an original Japanese B2 poster printed in 1975 for the first theatrical release of Oni no Uta (鬼の詩), directed by Tetsutarō Murano and produced by Tetsu Production in association with ATG (Art Theatre Guild). Adapted from Giichi Fujimoto’s Naoki Prize-winning novel, the film stars Katsura Fukudanji and Yūko Katagiri in an intense drama about performance, personal loss and artistic obsession.

This example is in Excellent overall condition, with very minor edge wear. The colours remain vivid, giving this striking design exceptional visual impact. Please look closely at the additional imagery provided. Once framed, this poster will display excellently.

Film background
Set in the world of Osaka’s rakugo theatres during the late Meiji period, the film follows performer Katsura Bakyō, whose determination to entertain leads him towards increasingly extreme feats. After smallpox leaves his face deeply scarred, he develops an extraordinary act involving kiseru—traditional Japanese smoking pipes—suspended from the hollows of his skin. Following the loss of his wife, his devotion to performance becomes increasingly destructive.

Murano invested his own resources in bringing Fujimoto’s story to the screen. With cinematography by Yasuhiro Yoshioka and music by Hikaru Hayashi, the film explores the suffering beneath public entertainment and the personal cost of pursuing an art beyond ordinary limits.

Poster design
The composition centres on an arresting photographic image of a face surrounded by hanging kiseru pipes. Dark hands frame the head, with raised fingers suggesting demon horns. The performer’s visible eye holds the viewer’s attention, giving the image a powerful human presence beneath its grotesque transformation.

A dramatic colour transition moves from warm orange and glowing red above to turquoise and green below. The dark figure stands sharply against this luminous background, while the pipes create a series of elongated vertical forms across the lower half.

The brush-lettered title 鬼の詩 appears at upper left, accompanied by the Romanised title ONI NO UTA. The Japanese advertising copy reads:

「鬼の詩は哀しく　鬼の笑いは虚しい」
“The demon’s song is sorrowful; the demon’s laughter is hollow.”

English director and author credits occupy the upper right, while the Japanese production credits and ATG emblem are arranged at left. The printed “YOSHIOKA” signature appears near the lower-left corner, completing a memorable example of ATG’s adventurous approach to film publicity.

Condition
Excellent overall condition, with very minor edge wear. Please review the photos; they show the exact poster for sale, including both the front and reverse.

This poster is an original Japanese theatrical B2 from the 1975 first-release campaign.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is over 51 years old!

Certificate of Authenticity included.