"A Fistful of Dollars", Original First-Release ADVANCE Japanese Movie Poster 1967, Ultra Rare, Linen-Backed, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm)

This is an original Japanese advance poster, printed in 1967 for the first Japanese release of Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (distributed domestically by Tōwa). Of all known Japanese designs for this film, this minimalist B2 is the rarest: advance posters were produced in extremely small quantities and displayed only briefly, making surviving examples exceptionally scarce. In more than a decade of collecting, this is only the second copy we have ever encountered. We can see one selling over 20 years ago in the Western market.

Clint Eastwood’s breakthrough as “The Man with No Name” revolutionised the Western genre and catapulted Eastwood to international stardom. This stark teaser perfectly captures Leone’s sparse, gritty aesthetic: a lone rider (Eastwood) waits beneath a desolate hang-tree, its noose silhouetted against a washed-out sky, while bold vermillion kanji for Kōya no Yōkinbō (荒野の用心棒) blaze across the sand-coloured foreground. The restrained palette and vast negative space evoke the film’s tension-laden vistas and moral emptiness.

Advance B2s were printed once and meant for short-lead promotion, making them rarities today—especially linen-backed and in such remarkable condition.

We sent this poster from Tokyo to California, where it was professionally conservation linen-backed by one of the premier restoration studios in the field. Their meticulous work ensures the piece is stabilised and display-ready for future generations.

This is a true country-of-origin collectible coveted by serious aficionados of Spaghetti Westerns and Japanese film art alike. It is not a reproduction or a reprint—this is an original 1967 advance poster.

It is over 57 years old!

This poster is in near-mint condition. Please refer to the imagery as this is the exact poster that is for sale.

Certificate of Authenticity included.