“God Speed You! Black Emperor” (ゴッド・スピード・ユー！ブラックエンペラー), Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1976, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) I258

This is an original Japanese first-release B2 theatrical poster from 1976 for God Speed You! Black Emperor (ゴッド・スピード・ユー！ブラックエンペラー)—Mitsuo Yanagimachi’s seminal black-and-white 16mm documentary on Japan’s 1970s youth biker scene.

Film background
Yanagimachi’s camera follows members of the bōsōzoku (“violent-running tribe”) motorcycle subculture—specifically the group known as the Black Emperors—capturing the tension between adolescent identity, spectacle, and the pressures of family and authority. The film has since become a cult touchstone of post-war Japanese documentary cinema, and its title was later adopted by the Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Poster design
A bold, high-contrast two-image composition: a grainy, kinetic riding scene above and a close, mechanical portrait of a Honda machine below—framed around the stark English title BLACK EMPEROR. The raw monochrome photography, period insignia and gang markings (as documented), and minimal layout give the sheet a confrontational, archival “street documentary” energy that feels unmistakably 1970s.

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

It is over 49 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.