“Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song” (女囚さそり 701号怨み節) Original release Japanese billboard poster, 1973 — linen-backed, restored and beautifully preserved (approx. 160 × 100 cm)

“Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song” (女囚さそり 701号怨み節)

Original release Japanese billboard poster, 1973 — linen-backed, restored and beautifully preserved

Offered here is a dramatic, large-format Japanese theatrical “billboard” poster for Joshū Sasori: 701-gō Urami-bushi—released internationally as Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song—the fourth film in Toei’s celebrated Sasori cycle and Meiko Kaji’s final appearance as the implacable anti-heroine Nami Matsushima (“Sasori”).

Details

Film: 女囚さそり 701号怨み節 (Joshū Sasori: 701-gō Urami-bushi)
English title: Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song
Release date (Japan): 29 December 1973
Studio / Distributor: Toei
Director: Yasuharu Hasebe (長谷部安春)
Format: Japanese B0 “two-sheet / B-bai” billboard format (large-scale exhibition poster)
Approx. size (as provided): 62 × 38.5 in (approx. 157.5 × 97.8 cm)
(Note: Japanese B0 is commonly standardised at approx. 103.0 × 145.6 cm; Japanese poster sizes can vary—always measure the individual example.)
Condition: Linen-backed for stability; fold lines professionally flattened; repairs to small tears; overall excellent presentation (see “Condition” below).

Context

The Sasori cycle and Toei’s art-house exploitation

The Female Prisoner Scorpion films occupy a rare space where pulp intensity meets audacious, highly-designed cinema. In a published essay for Arrow Films’ Female Prisoner Scorpion Collection, the quartet is characterised as among the most artfully conceived and willfully abstract entries within Toei’s already flamboyant 1970s exploitation output.

The same source traces Sasori’s origin to Toru Shinohara’s manga (acquired and reimagined for the screen), and positions the character as an enduring cinematic archetype: a near-mythic figure of injustice, escape, and vengeance—one whose impact has proven global and long-lived.

Meiko Kaji

A cult icon: actress, singer, and international influence

Meiko Kaji’s screen presence—cool, poised, and lethal—helped define a generation of Japanese genre cinema. Her own management profile explicitly notes that her distinctive aesthetic has been highly regarded by overseas film fans (including Quentin Tarantino), and that she enjoys cult popularity in Europe and the United States.

Crucially, Kaji’s fame is not only visual. She is also a formidable vocalist: Tokuma Japan’s official artist profile records her performing “怨み節 (Urami Bushi)” in connection with the Sasori films, with the song achieving major popularity and earning industry recognition.

Tarantino, Kill Bill, and the renewed global spotlight

Kaji’s influence on contemporary cinema is unusually direct: her management profile notes that both “修羅の花 (Shura no Hana)” and “怨み節 (Urami Bushi)” were used in Tarantino’s Kill Bill films.
This is supported by soundtrack documentation: IMDb’s soundtrack credits list “Flower of Carnage (Shura No Hana)” in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and “Urami-Bushi” in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, each performed by Meiko Kaji.

A detailed feature on Kaji’s dual career further frames her as a “double‑threat” star—an actress whose (often) near-silent screen persona is counterbalanced by a soundtrack voice that resonated widely, and whose work helped shape Tarantino’s sonic and visual palette.

The film this poster represents

#701’s Grudge Song as a pivotal, final chapter

701-gō Urami-bushi is the fourth entry in the original Sasori series and—importantly—Kaji’s last turn as Nami Matsushima.
It also marks a creative shift: Toei’s official materials and Arrow’s documentation both record that the series moved from Shunya Itō’s direction (first three films) to Yasuharu Hasebe for this installment.

In short: this poster is tied to the moment when the “classic” cycle closes—making it especially compelling for collectors who want the series not merely as cinema, but as graphic culture.

The poster

“Badass” at billboard scale: a masterclass in 1970s Japanese graphic impact

Even within a franchise celebrated for strong design, this composition reads as the most aggressively modern of the cycle—an image built to dominate a lobby frame or exterior display.

Key visual elements (as seen in the artwork):

• Monumental black field acting as a stage-like void—cinematic negative space that heightens every colour accent.

• A blood‑red sun-disc (a graphic echo of the national motif) anchoring the right half of the composition.

• The iconic figure of Sasori (Kaji’s character) rendered in a hard, confrontational pose, gripping a long gun—a visual escalation of the series’ vengeance mythology.

• A black panther advancing toward the viewer: a symbolic embodiment of stealth, inevitability, and predatory resolve—almost a living shadow cast into the foreground.

• Geometric white grid-work overlaying monochrome film stills at left and extending across the design, lending a cool, architectural “system” that clashes beautifully with the primal violence implied by the weapon and the panther.

• Jagged, lightning-like title typography in yellow (“女囚さそり”), paired with the bold red subtitle (“701号怨み節”), achieving maximum legibility from distance—exactly what billboard formats demand.

At B0/two-sheet scale, these choices become experiential: the negative space feels cavernous; the panther becomes almost life-size; and the typography reads like a physical strike across the wall.

Rarity and survival

Why billboard-format Japanese posters are genuinely scarce

Japanese movie posters were printed for theatrical release and are not typically “reprinted” in the manner of later decorative prints—survival often depends on chance, handling, and storage.

At the top of the hierarchy sits B0, a format made from two B1 sheets, also known as a “two sheet” or “B-bai” (double).
These were designed to be seen, not saved—so finding an example from 1973 (now over 50 years old) in strong condition is increasingly uncommon, particularly when the piece has been professionally stabilised for long-term display.

Condition

Linen-backed, flattened, and professionally preserved

This example has been linen-backed—a standard conservation method used to stabilise vintage paper, reinforce fold points, and support safe display—especially important for large-format posters that were originally handled, transported, and often folded for distribution. (Backing also allows careful repair of edge tears and weak points.)

Conservation includes:

• Linen backing to stabilise the sheet

• Repairs to small tears

• Fold lines flattened (notably important for a poster that was originally distributed folded)

• Overall presentation described as excellent, with the restoration focused on structural integrity and display quality