“FROM UP ON POPPY HILL / コクリコ坂から”, ORIGINAL JAPANESE B1 THEATRICAL “SECOND / NOW SHOWING” POSTER 2011, Ultra Rare, B1 Size (c. 72.8 x 103cm)
An exceptional original Japanese B1 theatrical poster for Studio Ghibli’s From Up on Poppy Hill / コクリコ坂から, released in Japan in 2011. Directed by Gorō Miyazaki / 宮崎吾朗, with planning and screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki / 宮崎駿 and screenplay by Keiko Niwa / 丹羽圭子, the film was based on the manga by Chizuru Takahashi / 高橋千鶴 and Tetsurō Sayama / 佐山哲郎, and distributed theatrically in Japan by Toho / 東宝.
This is the highly desirable second theatrical poster / “now showing” design, produced after the film’s initial release to support its continued theatrical run. Studio Ghibli’s own announcement records that this second poster was created at Hayao Miyazaki’s suggestion, in response to theatres continuing the film into autumn, and that the chosen image depicts the deeply emotional scene in which Umi meets her father in a dream.
The artwork presents a tender father-daughter embrace against the harbour backdrop of Yokohama: Umi in her sailor-style school uniform, held by her father, with a vast ship hull and red-and-white tugboat behind them. The muted palette of cream, navy, grey, and maritime red beautifully evokes the film’s 1963 setting, a post-war Japan poised between memory and renewal. The composition is quieter and more emotionally direct than the better-known scenic campaign images, making this B1 second-poster design especially compelling for serious Studio Ghibli collectors.
A superb home-market Ghibli theatrical sheet: original 2011 Japanese release, ultra rare B1 format, second / now-showing design, single-sided with blank reverse, and in excellent condition, close to near mint.
Key Facts
Film: From Up on Poppy Hill / コクリコ坂から
Japanese title: コクリコ坂から / Kokuriko-zaka Kara
Director: Gorō Miyazaki / 宮崎吾朗
Planning / screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki / 宮崎駿
Screenplay: Keiko Niwa / 丹羽圭子
Original manga: Chizuru Takahashi / 高橋千鶴 and Tetsurō Sayama / 佐山哲郎
Producer: Toshio Suzuki / 鈴木敏夫
Music: Satoshi Takebe / 武部聡志
Theme song: Aoi Teshima / 手嶌葵
Insert song: Kyu Sakamoto / 坂本九 — “上を向いて歩こう”
Studio: Studio Ghibli / スタジオジブリ
Distributor: Toho / 東宝
Japanese release date: 16 July 2011
Format: Original Japanese theatrical “second / now showing” poster
Size: B1 — c. 72.8 × 103 cm / 28.7 × 40.6 in
Printing: Single-sided theatrical printing, blank reverse
Condition: Excellent, close to Near Mint
Rarity: Ultra Rare — scarce large-format B1 theatrical display poster
Design Notes
This rare “second poster” design is among the most emotionally resonant theatrical images created for From Up on Poppy Hill. Rather than focusing on the school, signal flags, or ensemble cast, it isolates a central moment of memory and longing: Umi embraced by her father in a dreamlike harbour setting.
The maritime background is essential to the film’s emotional world. The looming ship hull, tugboat, smokestack, dark water, and pale haze all point to Yokohama’s port identity and to the film’s themes of family history, loss, memory, and post-war reconstruction. Set in Yokohama in 1963, the film follows a young generation looking forward while still carrying the emotional weight of the past.
At full B1 scale, the poster has a quiet but powerful presence. The large red vertical title コクリコ坂から anchors the left side, while the central embrace is framed by ships, mist, and open sky. The result is restrained, cinematic, and deeply nostalgic — very much in keeping with the film’s Showa-era atmosphere.
Text and Translation Notes
The poster carries several important Japanese text elements:
Main title:
コクリコ坂から
From Up on Poppy Hill
Literally, this can also be read as “From Coquelicot Hill”, with “coquelicot” referring to the red poppy.
Top-right tagline:
海、大きくなったなあ。
“Umi, you’ve grown so much.”
This line has a poignant double meaning. 海 / Umi is the heroine’s name, but the character also means “sea” in Japanese. The phrase therefore carries both the intimacy of a father speaking to his daughter and the larger maritime imagery of the film.
Lower-right handwritten text:
上を向いて歩こう。
“Let’s walk looking up.”
This also refers to Kyu Sakamoto’s famous song “Ue o Muite Arukō”, credited on the film and poster as an insert song. The phrase reinforces the poster’s quiet message of endurance, memory, and moving forward.
Bottom-right theatrical line:
全国東宝系にて上映中！
“Now showing nationwide through the Toho theatre circuit!”
This confirms the poster’s status as a theatrical release / now-showing poster, rather than a later decorative print.
The Japanese B1 Format and Rarity
Japanese film posters are most commonly encountered in the B2 format. The larger B1 format, measuring approximately 72.8 × 103 cm, was produced in much smaller numbers for prominent cinema display, including theatre lobbies, large poster cases, and major roadshow promotion.
This example is especially desirable because it is not only B1 size, but also the less commonly seen second theatrical poster design. Its subject — Umi’s dream encounter with her father — was specifically selected for the later campaign and carries direct emotional significance within the film.
For Studio Ghibli collectors, original Japanese theatrical paper is the most desirable category, representing the film as it was promoted in its home market. A genuine B1 theatrical poster for a 2010s Ghibli release is substantially harder to find than the standard B2, and surviving examples in this condition are increasingly scarce.
Film Context
From Up on Poppy Hill is one of Studio Ghibli’s most refined period dramas. Set in 1963 Yokohama, shortly before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, it captures a Japan rebuilding itself while deciding what to preserve from the past. The story’s emotional centre lies in youth, memory, family identity, and the tension between modernisation and historical continuity.
The film was a major domestic success. The Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan lists From Up on Poppy Hill as the top-grossing Japanese film of 2011, with estimated box-office receipts of ¥4.46 billion and Toho as distributor.
Condition Report
Excellent condition, close to Near Mint.
The poster presents beautifully, with strong colour, crisp printing, clean image quality, and excellent overall display presence. It appears unfolded, with no visible fold lines. The reverse is blank and clean, consistent with this single-sided theatrical format.
There are no major tears, losses, staining, or significant defects apparent. Any imperfections appear limited to very light handling or storage evidence, consistent with an oversize B1 theatrical sheet. The colours remain fresh, the red title is bold, and the pale atmospheric background retains excellent clarity.
This is the exact poster shown in the photographs.
Authenticity Statement
This is an original 2011 Japanese theatrical B1 poster for From Up on Poppy Hill / コクリコ坂から.
It is not a modern reproduction, not a later decorative print, and not the standard smaller B2 poster. It is the genuine large-format Japanese theatrical article: B1 size, original release period, second / now-showing design, single-sided with blank reverse, and in excellent condition, close to near mint.
A major Studio Ghibli rarity: original Japanese B1, second theatrical poster design, emotionally significant father-daughter key visual, and superbly preserved.
