"Gamera, the Giant Monster", Original Release Japanese Double-Sided Speed Poster 1965, Ultra Rare, Speed Poster Size (c. 26 × 73 cm)
Japanese title: 「大怪獣ガメラ」(Daikaijū Gamera — “Giant Monster Gamera”)
Size: Speed Poster / c. 10.25 × 28.75 in (c. 26 × 73 cm)
Country / Studio: Japan / Daiei
Printed in 1965 for the first Japanese theatrical release of Gamera, the Giant Monster, this is an original Japanese double-sided speed poster—a scarce, cinema-use format produced for display and never intended for public sale. Narrow-format pieces like this were printed in very limited quantities, used hard, and usually discarded. For the debut film in the Gamera series, survival is exceptionally rare. We have never seen another example, and to our knowledge no other copy has surfaced on the market.
Film background
Directed by Noriaki Yuasa and produced/distributed by Daiei Film, Gamera, the Giant Monster introduced the prehistoric, fire-breathing turtle who would become one of Japan’s most enduring kaiju icons. Awakened by an atomic blast in the Arctic, Gamera brings destruction to Japan and launches one of the great monster franchises of the Shōwa era. For collectors, first-release paper from the original film sits at the very beginning of the legend.
Poster design
The full-colour display side is everything collectors want from mid-1960s kaiju advertising: Gamera towers over Tokyo, jaws open beside the blazing lattice of Tokyo Tower, while jets, a helicopter, and fleeing crowds amplify the sense of urban panic. The huge vertical red title 「大怪獣ガメラ」 dominates the left side with tremendous impact, while the white copy at right hypes a monster that knocks jets from the sky, seizes Tokyo Tower, breathes fire, and flies through the air. The palette is superb—deep purples, hot oranges, and rich blacks—and the image has real theatrical force.
The reverse is equally compelling, functioning as a second design altogether: a monochrome promotional broadside with bold title graphics, scene stills, columns of Japanese text, and smaller action vignettes. It gives the piece a true double-sided presence and makes it especially desirable as an original theatrical artifact rather than simply a display image.
Rarity and condition
Condition is very good to excellent for its age and fragile format. The poster is double-sided and folded as issued, with two original horizontal fold lines visible on both sides. The colour side presents exceptionally well, with rich, deep, beautiful colour and strong overall eye appeal. There is light fold wear, minor general handling and edge wear, a few small surface marks in the background, a small crease and old clear tape / adhesive remnant at the upper-right corner, and a small area of discoloration / staining at the lower-left margin of the credits area. The monochrome reverse shows expected age toning, light soiling / handling wear, fold wear, and a small old tape remnant at the lower-right margin, but remains very clean and highly attractive for a working cinema piece. Please inspect the photos carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.
Authentication
Guaranteed original; not a reproduction or reprint. Certificate of Authenticity included.
About Japanese Speed Posters
Speed posters are narrow, vertically oriented theatre display pieces produced in comparatively small numbers for rapid in-cinema promotion. Many were pasted up, folded, or discarded after short use, and very few survived—especially from the 1960s kaiju boom. Original first-release Gamera speed posters are therefore exceptionally scarce, and a double-sided survivor like this is a remarkable piece of Japanese monster-movie history.
