“Kill and Slay” / “Kill! Passion Is Love” (斬殺せよ 切なきもの、それは愛), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1990, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) Q219
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1990 for the domestic release of Kill and Slay / Kill! Passion Is Love / 斬殺せよ 切なきもの、それは愛.
This rare Japanese historical melodrama was directed by Hisashi Sudo and features a notable cast including Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kana Akiko, Taro Kawano, and Beat Takeshi / Takeshi Kitano.
Set against the turbulent backdrop of the early Showa period and the February 26 Incident of 1936, the film combines political unrest with tragic romance. The story centres on a young Imperial Army officer involved in a nationalist uprising and his childhood sweetheart, whose life has been shaped by poverty and hardship. As martial law and political violence engulf Tokyo, their relationship is pulled apart by duty, honour, class, and fate.
The poster features a beautifully atmospheric design: silhouetted military figures emerge through heavy blue fog, creating a sombre and dramatic wartime mood. Above them, the title 斬殺せよ appears in vivid red calligraphy, cutting sharply through the dark upper composition.
The poetic Japanese tagline reads:
「死ぬまで恋女房に惚れ候。」
「切なきもの、それは愛」
Roughly translated, this evokes the film’s central theme of tragic devotion: love as something painful, powerful, and inescapable.
At the bottom of the poster, three small photographic insets show scenes from the film, including intimate dramatic moments and period interiors, while the cast and production credits run along the lower section. The right side of the poster also credits 企画・監修 / Planning & Supervision: Shusuke Nomura and 監督 / Director: Hisashi Sudo.
About the film
Kill and Slay is an extremely obscure and rarely seen Japanese period drama, notable for its mixture of historical politics, doomed romance, yakuza elements, and early-Showa atmosphere.
For collectors of Japanese cinema, the film is also of interest due to the appearance of Beat Takeshi / Takeshi Kitano during a key transitional period in his career. Released in 1990, the same year as Kitano’s second directorial feature Boiling Point, this film shows him as a character actor during the period when he was moving from television comedy into the harder-edged crime and yakuza screen presence that would later define works such as Sonatine and Hana-bi.
Why collectors prize this example
Original 1990 theatrical release: printed for the film’s initial Japanese cinema campaign.
Highly obscure title: promotional material for this film is exceptionally difficult to find.
Beat Takeshi / Takeshi Kitano connection: a scarce poster from an overlooked early-1990s performance.
Striking historical design: fog, military silhouettes, red calligraphy, and dramatic period imagery give the poster a powerful visual presence.
B2 theatrical format: the classic Japanese cinema poster size, approximately 51 × 73 cm.
Condition
This poster is in excellent condition.
It presents beautifully, with strong colour, clean imagery, and excellent overall visual impact. Please refer carefully to the imagery, as this is the exact poster that is for sale.
It is over 35 years old!
It is not a reproduction and not a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
