This is an original Japanese offset theatre poster from c.1983 (early 1980s), produced as a large-format performance announcement for Jōkyō Gekijō’s “Red Tent” era.
Jōkyō Gekijō (状況劇場 / Situation Theatre), Red Tent (紅テント), 1983
Illustration (作画) by Junichi Nakahara (中原淳一) • Design (デザイン) by Katsuhito Oyobe (及部克人)
This is a dramatic and extremely rare large “B-full / full-sheet” Japanese poster created for Sumikomi no Onna (住み込みの女), an underground theatre production written and directed by Jūrō Kara (唐十郎)—one of the central figures of Japan’s angura (underground) theatre movement and the founder of Jōkyō Gekijō (Situation Theatre).
The poster’s production credits include Assistant Director Yukio Ninagawa (蜷川幸雄), and the staging is recorded for the troupe’s Red Tent performances in Tokyo, listed at Shinjuku West Exit / Jūnisha (新宿西口 十二社), with the run documented in 1983.
Visually, this is a quintessential Junichi Nakahara image: a Shōwa-era, big-eyed young woman in a pink knit top sits on a striped sofa reading, surrounded by doll-like figures and domestic details. The bold yellow title calligraphy (“住み込みの女”) is set against a deep blue field, while the sepia silhouette area carries dense performance information (cast/schedule text) in the design. Nakahara is widely celebrated for defining a stylish “girl culture” aesthetic through illustration, editorial work, and design across pre- and postwar Japan—making this theatre poster an especially unusual and collectible crossover between classic shōjo-era illustration and late-period underground performance culture.
A standout historical detail: along the bottom is a prominent tie-in advertisement for Sanseidō’s dictionary “Kōjirin (広辞林) – 6th Edition”, marked “新発売” (new release). Sanseidō’s own publication information for 広辞林 第6版 places this edition’s release in 1983, which strongly supports the poster’s early-1980s dating and its cataloguing as a 1983 work.
This poster is also institutionally documented: it appears in Japanese theatre-poster cataloguing/exhibition materials with full credits (Kara / Oyobe / Nakahara), venue listing (Shinjuku West Exit / Jūnisha), year (1983), and a catalogued size around 1095 × 790 mm (approx. 109.5 × 79 cm).
Please refer to the imagery (both front and back) as this is the exact poster that is for sale.
It is over 42 years old!
It is in excellent condition (unused appearance, clean color, and—per the accompanying Japanese note—no pin holes/pin marks). Please review the margins shown in photos, which include original print/trim marks typical of period Japanese poster production.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
