“MITSUHIRO KUSHIDA – ATASHI NO BEATLES / A HARD DAY’S NIGHT”, Japanese Theatre Poster, Original B1 Silk Screen 1967, Ultra Rare, Size (c.73 x 103cm)
Atashi no Beatles (1967) “A Hard Day’s Night” — Original Japanese Silkscreen Poster by Mitsuhiro Kushida for Jiyu Gekijō
This is an original Japanese B1 silk screen poster printed in 1967 for the underground theatre troupe Jiyu Gekijō’s fifth production, Atashi no Beatles (My Beatles), written and directed by Satō Makoto with music by composer Hikaru Hayashi. Issued in very small numbers for a short Tokyo run at the Underground Theatre – Jiyu Gekijō in Nishi-Azabu, surviving examples are exceptionally hard to find, especially in such strong, saturated colour.
We consider this sheet a key work in our holdings of 1960s Japanese theatre and graphic design. Condition is very good for its age, with a structurally sound sheet; please see the detailed photographs. A tear at the right edge has been carefully stabilised on the reverse using archival tape (image provided).
Why this silkscreen matters
Pop, minimalism and underground theatre collide in this poster. Instead of literal imagery of the Fab Four, Kushida uses a hard-edge target / spotlight motif to suggest sound, light and the fever of Beatlemania—perfect for Satō’s avant-garde play, whose characters even bear the names Lennon, Harrison and McCartney.
• Historic “angura” document: created at the height of Japan’s 1960s underground theatre boom for Jiyu Gekijō’s fifth production, Atashi no Beatles (A Hard Day’s Night).
• Tiny print run: B1 theatre silkscreens were printed in small quantities and pasted up on the street; very few survived.
• Graphic innovation: Kushida fuses Western Op/Pop sensibility with Japanese design rigour, using silkscreen to achieve intensely flat, luminous colour.
• Rich credit block: full staff and cast listing (Satō Makoto, Hayashi Hikaru, choreographer Takemura Rui, actors Hideko Yoshida, Kazuyoshi Kushida, Ben Hiura and others) gives the piece strong documentary and historical value.
Artwork highlights
• Hypnotic concentric circles in yellows, oranges and reds read simultaneously as a theatre spotlight, target and vinyl record—an abstract echo of a spinning Beatles 45.
• Four opposing colour fields (teal, blue, grey and red) buttress the central disc, creating a cross-shaped stage of light that feels both architectural and psychedelic.
• Fine spray-like stippling around the circle showcases the hand-pulled silkscreen technique; each poster in the edition would have slightly different speckling and edge transitions.
• Text is handled with masterful economy: bold yellow and orange title typography at the top, and a compact production-credit block at lower left, all floating in a deep black field that amplifies the colour impact.
Printing & condition notes
• Technique: hand-pulled multi-colour silkscreen
• Format: B1 (approx. 73 x 103 cm / 28.5 x 40.5 in)
• Paper: medium-weight, uncoated wove
• Condition: colours vivid and unfaded; light handling, minor edge wear and a short tear at the right edge. That tear has been reinforced on the reverse with archival tape for stability; the repair is visible on the back (see images). Overall very presentable for a working theatre poster of this era.
• Provenance: private collection ➜ Japan Poster Shop
• Documentation: Certificate of Authenticity included.
Japan Poster Shop has assembled an extensive archive of original Japanese theatre and design posters from the 1960s and 70s, with a particular focus on the “angura” underground. Kushida’s Atashi no Beatles / A Hard Day’s Night is a very fine example, graphically pure. Survivals from this period are extremely rare, a museum-calibre sheet for collectors of Japanese avant-garde theatre, Beatles ephemera or post-war graphic design.
Please refer to the imagery (both front and back) as this is the exact poster that is for sale.
It is almost 60 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
