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"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)
"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)

"The Hidden Fortress", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1958, Ultra Rare, STB Tatekan Size (c. 51 x 145 cm)

Sale price $15,000.00

THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (1958) — 「隠し砦の三悪人」

First Release — TOHOscope — Ultra Rare

Release details

  • Country: Japan

  • Year: 1958 (first domestic release)

  • Studio/Distributor: Toho (東宝) — TOHOscope campaign

  • Format: STB Tatekan (立看 / “standing poster”), two‑sheet vertical style for street/foyer boards; as issued in upper + lower panels (unbacked).

  • Director: Akira Kurosawa

  • Stars: Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara (screen debut), Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Susumu Fujita, Eijirō Tōno

Film background
Kurosawa’s swashbuckling jidai‑geki charts two bickering peasants who escort a general and princess across enemy lines with hidden gold—an adventure that launched Misa Uehara as a new star. Contemporary commentary notes Toho’s extraordinary enthusiasm in promoting Uehara, which this campaign makes unmistakable. The film’s structure and point‑of‑view would later influence George Lucas’s Star Wars (the lowly characters’ perspective, princess in peril, hidden treasure, fortress escape).

Poster design

  • Upper panel: intense close‑up of Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara); bold TOHOscope ribbon at top right; vertical credit 「黒沢明監督作品」 at right; misted cloud field behind.

  • Left vertical title in crimson brush: 「隠し砦の三悪人」 with furigana.

  • Lower panel: kinetic Toshiro Mifune mid‑swing against a rocky battlefield; cavalry skirmish in the distance; full cast/crew block along the base; distributor line 東宝株式會社配給; small “Printed in Japan” slug at lower right.

  • Classic two‑panel tatekan layout designed for mounting to wooden street boards—seldom saved after exhibition, which explains the rarity.

Condition

  • Overall: Excellent / Very Good – vivid colour, strong presentation.

  • Panels: As issued two sheets (upper + lower), unbacked.

  • Edges: A few short tears at the extreme top edge (upper panel), tiny chips; lower edge clean.

  • Folds/handling: Light handling and minor stress at the very top where theatres typically tacked or clipped tatekans; central join between panels as issued; no material losses.

  • Surface: Flat and clean; slight rub visible in the black field above Uehara’s forehead on close inspection.

  • Holes/writing: No pinholes noted; no writing or stamps observed on front.

Rarity
The STB Tatekan for Hidden Fortress survives in very small numbers; few examples surface compared with standard B2/B1 materials. Country‑of‑origin, first‑release, and the Uehara/Mifune artwork make this one of the most desirable Japanese formats for the title.

Please refer to the imagery as this is the exact poster that is for sale.

It is over 67 years old!

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.

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