"TADANORI YOKOO - Cosmos Momoe 宇宙百恵", Original Japanese CBS/Sony “Not For Sale” Promotional Poster 1978, Design by Tadanori Yokoo, A1 Size (59.6 × 84.0 cm) ZA748
This is an original Japanese large-format A1 promotional poster produced in 1978 for Cosmos Momoe / 「宇宙百恵」, the CBS/Sony project centred on Momoe Yamaguchi, one of the defining Japanese pop idols and actresses of the 1970s.
This example is especially desirable because it was designed by Tadanori Yokoo, one of Japan’s most important post-war graphic artists. The poster carries the printed credit “DESIGN BY TADANORI YOKOO” along the upper-right edge, together with CBS/Sony branding, catalogue number 25AH 424, and “NOT FOR SALE” text, confirming its status as an official promotional item rather than a commercial retail poster.
Project background
By 1978, Momoe Yamaguchi was at the height of her cultural prominence: a major recording artist, film actress, television presence, and one of the most recognisable public figures of the Shōwa era. Cosmos Momoe / 「宇宙百恵」 belongs to this highly stylised late-1970s phase of her image-making, when music, fashion, photography, and graphic design were increasingly fused into large-scale visual promotion.
The involvement of Tadanori Yokoo gives the piece particular importance. Yokoo’s work is internationally recognised for its collision of pop culture, surrealism, commercial imagery, eroticism, psychedelia, and Japanese visual tradition. Here, he applies that language to the world of the Japanese idol, transforming a promotional object into a striking piece of cosmic pop-art design.
Poster design
The poster is a superb example of late-1970s Japanese cosmic futurism. A bold vertical orange band runs down the left side, carrying the title COSMOS MOMOE in heavy black sans-serif lettering. The main image field is a surreal collage in which fashion accessories, consumer objects, and cosmic imagery appear to float weightlessly through space.
Visible elements include round sunglasses, a Tareyton cigarette pack, a bright red lipstick, a polka-dot high heel, a purple shoulder bag, a wristwatch, a car-like form, and a planet-like sphere, all suspended against a deep nebula-like background. At upper right, a cropped female figure in a purple bikini introduces a glamorous, body-conscious pop image, while the surrounding objects suggest luxury, desire, modernity, and celebrity culture.
The result is unmistakably Yokoo: commercial, surreal, erotic, playful, and cosmic, with everyday objects transformed into floating signs inside a glamourised universe of Momoe Yamaguchi.
Release note
This poster was produced as an official 1978 CBS/Sony promotional poster for Cosmos Momoe / 「宇宙百恵」.
The printed “NOT FOR SALE” marking confirms that it was not issued as a normal retail poster, but as a promotional display item.
It is an original period Japanese promotional poster, not a later reproduction or commercial reprint.
Condition
Excellent condition. A highly attractive example, with strong colour, clean presentation, vivid orange and black title graphics, and excellent overall display impact.
Please review the photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.
This is an original 1978 Japanese promotional poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is now over 45 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
