"Red Peony Gambler: Flower Card Duel", Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1969, STB Size 20x57" (51x145cm) L230
"Red Peony Gambler: Flower Card Duel" (1969) – Original Japanese STB Size Poster
緋牡丹博徒 花札勝負 | Toei Studios | Starring Sumiko Fuji (as Junko Fuji), Ken Takakura | Directed by Kōsaku Yamashita
A striking original STB-size (tatekan) Japanese poster for Red Peony Gambler: Flower Card Duel (緋牡丹博徒 花札勝負), the third installment in Toei’s acclaimed Hibotan Bakuto series, released in 1969. Directed by Kōsaku Yamashita and starring the magnetic duo of Sumiko Fuji and Ken Takakura, this chapter escalates the tension, romance, and ritualistic violence that define the genre.
Fuji’s iconic portrayal of Oryū—the crimson-peony-tattooed gambler torn between vengeance and virtue—commands the composition in mid-action, sword in hand, eyes blazing with resolve. She is framed by bold red and turquoise calligraphy, contrasted with hibiscus blossoms and a vignette of Ken Takakura tightening his sash, a gesture of calm before violence. The visual drama of the poster echoes the fierce emotional and physical confrontations that unfold in the film’s underworld of betrayal, obligation, and blood-soaked honour.
Set against the backdrop of a rigged flower card (hanafuda) gambling world, Oryū finds herself in a deadly clash of duty and personal loss, drawing deeper into a world where even justice is paid in blood. Kōsaku Yamashita’s direction balances traditional ninkyō pathos with elegant violence, delivering one of the series’ most emotionally charged entries.
An essential STB-format poster for collectors of Toei yakuza cinema, fans of the legendary Junko Fuji and Ken Takakura pairing, or anyone seeking the feminine fury and tragic nobility that defined the golden age of Japanese outlaw drama.
It is over 56 years old!
This poster is in excellent condition. Please refer to the imagery (both front and back) as this is the exact poster that is for sale.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
L230
