“Wandering Ginza Butterfly” (銀蝶渡り鳥), Original Japanese First Release Movie Poster 1972, B1 Size (c. 73 × 103 cm)

This is an original Japanese B1 poster issued in Japan for Ginza Butterfly (銀蝶渡り鳥, 1972), the first film in Toei’s “Gincho / Ginza Butterfly” series, directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi and starring the legendary Meiko Kaji (梶芽衣子). The film opened theatrically in Japan on 1 April 1972. 

A theatre-used large-format example like this is ultra rare—B1 sheets were working display items, typically folded, pinned, and handled hard during their lives. Survivors are uncommon, and this title is particularly sought after for collectors of Kaji’s iconic early-1970s Toei cycle.

Kaji’s cult status today extends far beyond Japan: her screen persona (from Female Prisoner Scorpion to Lady Snowblood) and her music have been repeatedly celebrated and re-popularised internationally—most famously through Quentin Tarantino’s championing of her work and the use of her recordings in Kill Bill. 

Poster design
A bold, graphic star-vehicle composition with Meiko Kaji placed dead-centre, full length in kimono, meeting the viewer’s gaze with controlled menace—pure “Kaji presence” in a single image. Behind her, a painterly, almost watercolour Ginza streetscape (lamps, reflections, night haze) gives the piece a stylish metropolitan mood, while the huge hand-brushed title 銀蝶渡り鳥 reads like calligraphy slashed across the white field.

The copy at left leans into the film’s ninkyō (“chivalry”) world in a poetic, hardboiled register—evoking duty, honour, and a woman moving through a violent underworld—while the text block notes the theme songs 「銀蝶渡り鳥」 and 「銀蝶ブルース」 (Teichiku), underlining Kaji’s rare dual impact as actress and recording artist. 

Condition
Very Good / Excellent overall. Colours and image remain strong, and the poster retains excellent display power for such a large, working-format survivor. Please review the photos as they show the exact poster for sale.

It is over 53 years old!

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.