This is an original Japanese B2 poster printed in the 1960s for a summer “Special Cool‑Down Night Show” (特別納涼ナイトショウ) re‑issue of Shochiku’s 1957 kaidan film Kaidan Irozange – Kyōren Onna‑shishō (怪談色ざんげ・狂恋女師匠). For this late‑night programme the feature is promoted under the lurid catch‑title “Bōrei Shūnen no Ike” (亡霊執念の池 / Pond of the Vengeful Ghost) and paired with the true‑crime documentary Shimei Tehai (指名手配 / Wanted), which reconstructs the notorious “dressmaking‑student murder” case in Ehime Prefecture. The yellow headline across the top shouts “Special Cool‑Down Night Show!” while the blue strip proclaims “The ghost appears! At last – tonight!” Vertical copy on the right promises fresh blood, death‑rattle screams and a twisted grudge “born of lust,” and the green box for Wanted warns that “the killer is among them.” Cast credits for Keiko Yukishiro (雪代敬子) and Michiko Saga (嵯峨三智子) are printed beside the heroine’s portrait.
Design
The artwork is a classic Showa‑era ghost‑story composition, built around a single unforgettable onryō (vengeful spirit). On the left, the pale face of a young woman emerges from the black ground: one side intact, the other horribly burned and bleeding, echoing the film’s boiling‑water disfigurement. Her skin is rendered in eerie gradients of blue, green and yellow, with stippled colour typical of 1950s–60s litho printing, while strands of hair and trails of blood hang across her features. Above her floats a yellow‑green hitodama (spirit flame), and a long red wisp of ghost‑fire edged in toxic green snakes down the poster, tying together the title and credits. The bottom left shows a skull with red fracture lines and a bone in the grass; a patterned snake slips from the skull’s eye socket in front of a tilted grave or temple platform, firmly placing the scene in a haunted graveyard. Bold, brushy title characters for 亡霊執念の池 (“Pond of the Vengeful Ghost”) crash vertically through the centre in blood‑red with thick white borders, surrounded by shards of cyan, yellow and green copy blocks. The result is a dense, carnival‑bright exploitation design that perfectly captures the visceral appeal of Japanese summer ghost cinema.
Condition
Very good vintage condition for its age. Horizontal handling crease across the centre, minor edge wear and a small area of surface loss within the green Wanted panel. Verso shows even age‑toning and marks along the lower edge where it was once affixed for cinema display—typical for original Japanese theatrical posters. Please review the photos; they show the exact poster for sale.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
It is over 55 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
