“Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster” (ゴジラ対ヘドラ), Original First-Release Japanese Movie Poster 1971, Very Rare, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) P51

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1971 for the first release of Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster (ゴジラ対ヘドラ, Gojira tai Hedora)—one of the most visually radical, era-defining entries in the entire Toho kaiju canon. If many Godzilla films feel like mythic disaster epics, Hedorah feels like a fever-dream: loud colour, apocalyptic smoke, and an unmistakable sense of 1970s anxiety pressed directly onto the paper.

Film background
Released in 1971, Godzilla vs. Hedorah was directed by Yoshimitsu Banno, written by Banno and Takeshi Kimura, and produced/distributed by Toho. It is the 11th film in the Godzilla series and stands out for its overt environmental message—Godzilla facing a monster born from modern pollution, a literal embodiment of industrial smog.
Special effects were handled by Teruyoshi Nakano, while legendary suit performers brought the creatures to life: Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla and Kenpachirō Satsuma as Hedorah (with Satsuma later becoming Godzilla himself in the Heisei era). The human cast includes Akira Yamauchi, Toshie Kimura, and Hiroyuki Kawase.

Poster design
This B2 is pure impact: Godzilla is captured mid-attack, atomic breath cutting across a burning sky, while Hedorah looms like a nightmare—bulbous, toxic, and alien, with the creature’s eerie “eyes” dominating the upper composition. The colour palette is aggressively saturated—reds, oranges, and smoky blacks—mirroring the film’s signature blend of monster spectacle and ecological dread.
The enormous title 「ゴジラ対ヘドラ」 (“Godzilla vs. Hedorah”) lands across the centre in bold, block typography, with 《カラー作品》 (“Colour feature”) appearing as a classic period flourish. Along the top-left, the dramatic copy declares the threat and scale of the showdown—vintage Toho hype at its best, built to stop passers-by in the street.

Rarity and condition
This particular example is exceptional: unused cinema dead-stock, sourced directly from the remaining inventory of a theatre that has since closed. Because it was never displayed, the presentation is clean, crisp, and refined, with striking “gallery wall” impact—especially in a design that balances saturated colour with large areas of pale space.
Dead-stock first-release Godzilla B2s from the early 1970s are genuinely difficult to find today, and this is exactly the kind of survivor collectors hope for: sharp, bright, and display-ready.

Condition
Excellent, close to Near Mint (Unused “Dead Stock”). Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.

It is over 50 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.