“Weekly Morning” 1000th Issue / Beat Takeshi, Original Release Japanese Nakazuri Poster 2000, B3 Size (c.51.5 × 36.4 cm)
This is an original Japanese B3 nakazuri poster produced in April 2000 to promote the 1,000th issue of Weekly Morning (週刊モーニング), the long-running seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha. Designed for display inside Japanese commuter trains, this striking landscape-format advertisement places Beat Takeshi (Takeshi Kitano) at the centre of the composition, surrounded by a collage of well-known cultural figures, athletes, entertainers, and commentators.
Publication background
First launched in 1982, Morning established itself as one of Japan’s leading weekly manga magazines for adult readers, particularly office workers and commuters. By the time of this poster’s release in 2000, the magazine had reached its 1000th issue milestone — a major landmark celebrated prominently here with the text 創刊1000号.
The lower section promotes the issue itself as:
「4月27日号 No.20 好評発売中！ 定価260円（税込） 毎週木曜発売・講談社」
— “April 27 issue, No. 20, now on sale! Price: 260 yen (tax included). Published every Thursday by Kodansha.”
The main catchphrase across the bottom reads:
「おもしろいぜ！モーニング」
— “It’s interesting! Morning.”
Beat Takeshi — why he matters here
The undisputed focal point of the poster is Beat Takeshi (ビートたけし / Takeshi Kitano), shown front and centre in an imposing monochrome portrait. By 2000, Kitano was already one of Japan’s most important and recognisable cultural figures: a major comedian, television personality, actor, and film director whose work had achieved both domestic popularity and international acclaim.
His central placement gives the advertisement immediate authority and broad adult appeal. The accompanying text beside him reads:
「モーニングは太っ腹だ。」
— “Morning is big-hearted.”
The phrase is playful and colloquial, suggesting generosity, confidence, and abundance — entirely fitting for a celebratory 1000th issue campaign.
Other featured personalities
Although Beat Takeshi is the dominant figure, the poster also includes a lively supporting cast of notable public figures from across Japanese popular culture, sport, literature, and entertainment.
Together, these figures broaden the poster’s appeal beyond manga readership alone, presenting Morning as a magazine with cultural reach across the worlds of film, music, sport, television, and literature.
Poster design
The design is bold, immediate, and perfectly suited to the nakazuri format. The portraits are rendered in black-and-white, while the names and quotes appear in bright red vertical text panels, creating strong contrast and instant readability from a distance. The title slogan at the bottom, in blue and yellow, adds a burst of colour and energy.
This format was highly effective in the commuter environment: passengers only had a few moments to absorb the ad, so the clustering of recognisable faces encouraged quick visual engagement. The result is an excellent example of Japanese train advertising design from the turn of the millennium.
About the nakazuri format — B3 & rarity
Nakazuri are hanging advertising posters displayed inside Japanese commuter trains and subway carriages. The standard single-panel format is B3, approximately 36.4 × 51.5 cm; this example is presented in landscape orientation.
These posters were produced for short-term in-train display, changed frequently, and generally discarded after use. They were not sold to the public. For that reason, surviving original nakazuri examples are much harder to find than standard shop posters or magazine advertisements, particularly those tied to a specific issue, date, and milestone event such as this 1000th issue celebration.
Why this poster is collectible
This poster holds appeal on several fronts: Japanese manga history, Kodansha publishing ephemera, train advertising, and Beat Takeshi / Takeshi Kitano memorabilia. The presence of Kitano at the centre of the design gives it particular strength and recognisability, while the wider ensemble of late-1990s / early-2000s Japanese celebrities makes it an evocative piece of period visual culture.
For collectors of Beat Takeshi, Japanese publishing material, or original nakazuri advertisements, it is a highly displayable and characterful survivor from a now-vanished everyday format.
Condition
Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
It is over 26 years old!
A scarce and visually arresting original 2000 Weekly Morning B3 nakazuri poster, issued to celebrate the magazine’s 1000th issue, with Beat Takeshi taking pride of place at the centre — a fine piece of Japanese publishing and commuter-train advertising history.
