“High and Low” (天国と地獄), 1963 Japanese B2 Poster (First Release), B2 Size (c. 51 × 73 cm) I113

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster issued in Japan for Akira Kurosawa’s landmark modern thriller High and Low (天国と地獄). The B2 is the classic, highly collectible Japanese one-sheet format—large enough to deliver real impact on the wall, yet perfectly frameable—making it one of the most desirable ways to own first-release Kurosawa paper from the early 1960s.

This design is especially iconic: it captures the film’s central pressure point—Toshiro Mifune trapped on the telephone, surrounded by tense, watchful faces—while the title explodes across the lower half in huge, expressive yellow brush-stroke calligraphy.

Film background
Directed by Akira Kurosawa, High and Low is widely acclaimed as one of cinema’s greatest achievements. Toshiro Mifune stars as executive Kingo Gondo, whose world spirals after a kidnapping and ransom demand. Adapted from Ed McBain’s King’s Ransom, the film is both a taut police procedural and a searing social critique—contrasting the “high” of Gondo’s hilltop home with the “low” of Yokohama’s underworld. While Kurosawa is famed for his samurai epics, this modern thriller proves his mastery of contemporary, morally complex storytelling.

Poster design
A superb example of early-60s Japanese studio advertising—bold, readable, and psychologically loaded.

The upper panel is built around an intense close-up of Mifune gripping the receiver, his expression carved with dread and calculation, while a ring of anxious figures and investigators tighten around him. Across the very top, a dramatic red headline announces the stakes (the enormous ransom and the unseen criminal “laughing” through the phone), immediately locking the viewer into the film’s hostage-like tension.

The bottom half is pure theatrical impact: a wide black field with 「黒沢明監督作品」 (“A film by Akira Kurosawa”) above the massive yellow title 「天国と地獄」—lettered like a declaration rather than a credit. Along the top and right border, the musical staff motif and graphic framing give the piece a stylized “designed object” feel—more elegant than typical crime marketing—while the cityscape strip at the very bottom reinforces the film’s social geography: the modern metropolis beneath the drama.

In the top corner, the Toho mark (東宝) and the “30th anniversary” commemorative notation add period authenticity and studio prestige.

First-release Japanese B2s for top Kurosawa titles remain highly collected—and true high-grade survivors are increasingly difficult to source.

Condition is excellent overall, with strong display appeal. There is a light horizontal fold line / handling line consistent with age and careful storage, and the reverse shows expected, mild age wear/toning. Please inspect the photos carefully as they show the exact poster for sale.

Japan Poster Shop has an extensive Kurosawa movie poster collection—from original pamphlets to large-format billboard pieces. Many of our items are sourced across Japan, often privately, as our owner is Japanese and has an extensive network across Japan of dealers and collectors developed over almost ten years.

It is over 60 years old.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.

A standout opportunity to acquire a first-release Japanese B2 for one of Kurosawa’s greatest films—an essential, frame-ready piece of high-end Japanese cinema history with enduring collector demand.