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“Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo” (座頭市と用心棒), Ultra-Rare Original Release Japanese STB Tatekan Movie Poster 1970, STB Size (c. 51 × 145 cm) O714
“Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo” (座頭市と用心棒), Ultra-Rare Original Release Japanese STB Tatekan Movie Poster 1970, STB Size (c. 51 × 145 cm) O714
“Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo” (座頭市と用心棒), Ultra-Rare Original Release Japanese STB Tatekan Movie Poster 1970, STB Size (c. 51 × 145 cm) O714
“Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo” (座頭市と用心棒), Ultra-Rare Original Release Japanese STB Tatekan Movie Poster 1970, STB Size (c. 51 × 145 cm) O714

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“Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo” (座頭市と用心棒), Ultra-Rare Original Release Japanese STB Tatekan Movie Poster 1970, STB Size (c. 51 × 145 cm) O714

Sale price $375.00

This is an original Japanese STB tatekan (two-panel) theatrical poster printed in 1970 for the first release of Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (座頭市と用心棒)—a dream match-up in jidaigeki history that pits Shintarō Katsu’s blind swordsman Zatoichi against Toshirō Mifune in a role that knowingly echoes his iconic Kurosawa-era rōnin.

Film background
Released in 1970, this entry is the 20th film in the long-running Zatoichi series, based on the fictional blind masseur and swordmaster created by novelist Kan Shimozawa, set in the late Edo period. The film’s hook is irresistible: Zatoichi collides with Mifune’s formidable swordsman (here named Daisaku Sasa)—not “the” same character as Kurosawa’s Yojimbo/Sanjuro, but deliberately cast and shaped to evoke that same swaggering archetype, turning the movie into a full-throttle clash of two legends.

Design
One of the very best Japanese designs for the title: a near life-size, full-figure image of Toshirō Mifune in a brutally cool samurai stance—dynamic, confrontational, and instantly cinematic. The strong, minimal typography and the dramatic negative space make the figure feel even larger, giving this STB the presence of a display banner rather than a standard poster. It’s exactly the kind of piece that turns a room into a gallery wall—pure Mifune power.

Rarity
Japanese STB tatekan posters were printed in far smaller numbers than regular B2s and were used in narrow theatre spaces, meaning survivors are scarce. For a high-demand title like Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo, original STB examples are exceptionally rare and are among the most sought-after formats for collectors of classic Japanese cinema and Mifune memorabilia.

Condition
Very Good. This is a genuine theatre-used STB, and we have fully taken the condition into account when pricing. The poster remains a powerful, highly displayable example—once framed, where the central image reads brilliantly.

This is an original Japanese STB tatekan theatrical poster from the 1970 release.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is over 55 years old!

Certificate of Authenticity included.

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