“Himiko” / 「卑弥呼」, Original Japanese Movie Poster 1974, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) B284

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the first release of Himiko / 「卑弥呼」, Masahiro Shinoda’s radical 1974 historical drama produced and distributed by the Art Theatre Guild (ATG).

Combining ancient Japanese mythology with the political, erotic, and spiritual concerns of the Japanese New Wave, Himiko is one of the most visually and intellectually distinctive Japanese films of the 1970s.

Film background

Set in an imagined version of third-century Japan, the film centres on Queen Himiko, the legendary shaman ruler of Yamatai whose authority rests upon her claimed ability to communicate with the gods.

Her position begins to destabilise when her half-brother Takehiko returns from the Asian mainland. Their forbidden relationship disrupts the spiritual and political order surrounding Himiko, provoking jealousy, competing religious interpretations, and increasingly violent conflict among the tribes.

Rather than attempting a conventional historical reconstruction, the film presents ancient Japan through highly theatrical sets, ritualised performances, symbolic costume, and deliberately modern visual language.

Directed by Masahiro Shinoda, the screenplay was written by Masahiro Shinoda and Taeko Tomioka. The film stars Shima Iwashita as Himiko, alongside Masao Kusakari, Rie Yokoyama, Rentarō Mikuni, and Tatsumi Hijikata.

The haunting score was composed by Tōru Takemitsu, one of the most important figures in modern Japanese music and film composition.

Himiko was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival. It remains highly regarded as a major work of Japanese avant-garde and New Wave cinema, particularly for its fusion of mythology, political allegory, eroticism, ritual, and experimental theatrical design.

Poster design

The poster uses a disciplined grid-based photographic composition designed by the celebrated Japanese graphic artist Kiyoshi Awazu, who also served as the film’s production designer.

Awazu was a major figure in postwar Japanese graphic design, known for combining traditional Japanese imagery with experimental typography, collage, and modernist structures. The photography is credited to acclaimed photojournalist Tadao Mitome.

At the centre is a large portrait of Shima Iwashita as Queen Himiko. Her face is covered in pale ritual makeup, with sharply defined black eyeliner, red eyeshadow, and a simple white headband decorated with a leaf.

Her expression is calm, distant, and almost mask-like, suggesting both divine authority and emotional isolation.

Surrounding the central portrait are ten smaller framed images drawn from the film. These include white-robed ritual attendants, spear-bearing warriors, tribal processions, lovers embracing beside the sea, and figures participating in strange ceremonial performances.

The individual stills function almost like fragments of an archaeological or anthropological archive, while the strict black grid gives the composition a distinctly modern and analytical structure.

The white horizontal tagline beneath the image field reads:

「原始日本の混沌のなかで、エロス、政治、宗教のタブーにいどむ衝撃のドラマ」

“A shocking drama challenging the taboos of eros, politics, and religion amid the chaos of primitive Japan.”

The lower section is presented against a solid black ground and dominated by the large white title:

「卑弥呼」

Small furigana beneath the kanji provide the reading 「ひみこ」.

To the right, the credits identify director Masahiro Shinoda, the principal cast, and the ATG production. The creative credits at lower left include screenwriter Taeko Tomioka, composer Tōru Takemitsu, and other members of the production team.

At the bottom right, the poster credits read:

“Photography TADAO MITOME · Design KIYOSHI AWAZU”

The result is an exceptionally sophisticated poster: part film advertisement, part photographic archive, and part avant-garde graphic artwork.

Artist and design note

Kiyoshi Awazu was one of the leading figures in postwar Japanese graphic culture. His work crossed poster design, architecture, theatre, publishing, and experimental cinema, and he was closely associated with the intellectual and visual movements that reshaped Japanese art after the war.

For Himiko, Awazu’s design avoids conventional illustrated spectacle. Instead, the poster uses repetition, framing, and photographic fragmentation to mirror the film’s examination of myth, ritual, sexuality, and power.

Original Japanese posters designed by Awazu are increasingly collected not only as cinema memorabilia but also as significant works of twentieth-century graphic design.

Release note

This poster was printed for the film’s original Japanese theatrical release in 1974 through the Art Theatre Guild.

It is a standard Japanese B2-size theatrical poster, measuring approximately:

51.5 × 72.8 cm / 20 × 28.7 inches

It is an original period Japanese cinema poster, not a later reproduction or commercial reprint.

Condition

Excellent condition. A highly attractive example, with strong photographic detail, rich black tones, clear typography, and excellent overall display impact.

There are only light signs of age and handling consistent with an original Japanese theatrical poster from this period, but overall it presents extremely well.

Reference: B284.

Please review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.

This is an original 1974 Japanese theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is now over 50 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.