“Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song” (女囚さそり 701号怨み節) Original release Japanese STB / Tatekan poster, 1973 — unrestored and in excellent display condition, with original cinema-use wear (STB / Tatekan / 2-panel approx. 51 x 145 cm) Q107

“Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song” (女囚さそり 701号怨み節)
Original release Japanese STB / Tatekan poster, 1973 — unrestored and in excellent display condition

Offered here is a complete, original-release Japanese STB / Tatekan poster for Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song, the fourth and final film in Meiko Kaji’s original Toei Scorpion cycle. Released in Japan on 29 December 1973, the film was directed by Yasuharu Hasebe, with official Toei materials emphasizing Scorpion’s revenge against the detectives who wronged her and noting the handover from Shunya Ito to Hasebe for this final installment. For collectors of Meiko Kaji, Toei exploitation, and first-release Japanese paper, this is a true holy-grail STB / Tatekan format piece. 

Meiko Kaji: a defining screen identity
Japan Society describes Kaji’s Nami as the role that became her defining role at Toei, and more broadly characterizes Kaji as an actress whose piercing gaze came to define an era of Japanese cinema. That gives original theatrical material for the Scorpion films unusual weight: this is not just cult paper, but paper tied to one of the central screen personas of 1970s Japanese genre cinema. 

The poster
Blazing orange aura, dagger-eyed Kaji, electric-blue title typography, and stalking black panther imagery

Even by the standards of 1970s Japanese poster design, this composition is exceptionally forceful. The upper section is dominated by a monumental image of Meiko Kaji in black, holding a long gun and isolated against a burning orange-red aura, while the lower section explodes into a charging black panther, huge electric-blue calligraphic title lettering, and deep pools of black negative space. The left-side copy promises ferocious black murderous intent and revenge echoing through the darkness, exactly matching the mood of the film’s late-cycle bitterness.

Key visual elements (as seen in the artwork):
• Monumental upper-body image of Meiko Kaji, cool, severe, and confrontational
• Burning orange halo behind Kaji, creating an almost icon-like silhouette
• Huge electric-blue title calligraphy crashing down the lower section
• Charging black panther imagery that turns the lower half into pure menace
• Red vertical “701号怨み節” typography cutting through the design with urgency
• Printed credit to the theme song “怨み節,” sung by Meiko Kaji, a superb period touch for Kaji collectors

At STB / Tatekan scale, those choices become architectural. The design is not merely attractive; it becomes a true cinema-display statement piece, with Kaji looming above and the panther advancing below in a composition built to stop passersby in their tracks.

Rarity and survival
Why STB / Tatekan-format Japanese posters are genuinely scarce

The Tatekan as a uniquely Japanese format, made by joining two B2 posters vertically for use in standing cinema displays. STBs were produced in much smaller quantities, were often used in public-facing display situations, and were largely discontinued by the mid-1970s. That combination of scale, two-panel construction, and display use makes survival markedly harder than with ordinary B2 posters. For a Meiko Kaji Scorpion title, that places an original first-release STB squarely in holy-grail territory.

Condition
Excellent display condition / unrestored / complete two-panel example, with visible original cinema-use wear (The upper panel shows the most notable wear, including old tape residue and adhesive staining at the upper corners). This example is unrestored and complete in two separate sections. It shows the expected fold lines, light general creasing, and handling wear consistent with a genuine vintage theatrical display piece. Most importantly, the poster retains strong color, a deep, dramatic black field, and outstanding visual impact.

About STB (Tatekan) posters
STBs are tall, two-panel Japanese standing-board posters measuring roughly 51 × 145 cm, formed from two B2 sheets. They were designed for vertical standing displays outside cinemas, making them something like compact Japanese theatrical billboards. Because of their size, two-piece construction, and public-display use, surviving originals are far rarer than standard B2s. For major 1970s cult titles—and especially for Meiko Kaji / Scorpion material—first-release STBs are among the most desirable Japanese formats in the field.