“Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”, Original Re-Release Japanese Movie Poster 1982, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) G101

This is an original Japanese poster printed in 1982 for the first Japanese re-release of Star Wars, issued to commemorate the launch of the Japanese-dubbed version from 15 May 1982, exactly as stated in the lower margin of the poster. While the film had first opened in Japan in 1978, this 1982 campaign gave it a fresh theatrical identity, and this striking country-of-origin design was created especially for that release.

Authenticity
Important note: many modern reproductions of this design circulate. The example offered here is 100% an original theatrical printing, not a later reprint—so you can buy with confidence.

Star Wars—retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope—is George Lucas’s 1977 space opera landmark, the film that introduced audiences to Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, the Death Star, and the wider galactic conflict between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, David Prowse, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew, it remains one of the defining films of modern popular culture.

What makes this poster especially desirable is the artwork by Noriyoshi Ohrai, one of Japan’s great poster illustrators. Rather than repeating the standard international one-sheet imagery, Ohrai created a dramatic, deeply atmospheric composition centred on the Millennium Falcon, which surges diagonally through space under the looming presence of Darth Vader, with X-wings, TIE fighters, explosions, the Death Star, and the principal characters gathered below. The result is both grand and painterly, and for many collectors it stands among the most memorable Japanese Star Wars images ever produced. It is a poster that perfectly captures the scale, romance, and operatic energy of the film.

Condition
Very Good. Please refer to the imagery (both front and back) as this is the exact poster for sale. The poster presents beautifully overall, with rich colour, strong contrast, and outstanding display appeal. There is only light age-related handling and minor wear consistent with an authentic 1982 theatrical re-release poster, with the reverse remaining clean overall.

It is over 42 years old!

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.