“DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE”, Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1969, STB Tatekan (51 × 145 cm) — Ultra Rare P125

“DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE”, Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1969, STB Tatekan (51 × 145 cm) — Ultra Rare

Why this is a trophy piece
Hammer Films’ Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) was directed by Freddie Francis, produced by Aida Young, and stars Christopher Lee, Veronica Carlson, Rupert Davies, Barbara Ewing, and Barry Andrews. It opened in Japan on 12 March 1969 under the title 帰って来たドラキュラ, making this the towering first Japanese-release campaign format for one of Hammer’s signature late-1960s Dracula films.

This STB / tatekan comes from that first Japanese release. STBs were tall, two-panel signboard posters formed from two stacked B2 sheets and made for cinema display; standard poster references place the format at roughly 20 × 57–58 inches, and surviving examples are appreciably scarcer than regular B2 posters because they were made in smaller numbers for prominent public display.

Design highlights (and on-poster translations)
Street-distance impact: the upper panel gives you an upside-down victim suspended beneath a massive bell while Dracula thrashes in his coffin; the lower panel answers with a huge, blood-eyed close-up of Christopher Lee and a smaller crypt vignette at lower right. The composition is pure late-Hammer shock advertising, designed to stop passersby cold.

Monumental title work, at right: giant blood-red vertical lettering reads 「帰って来たドラキュラ」— literally, “Dracula Has Returned.” The forms drip like fresh blood, with a pale outline that makes the title leap off the dark background.

Vertical copy, in pink and yellow (sense rendering): 「美しい女の首すじに食いこむ二本の歯牙—戦慄すべき恐怖とエロチシズム！吸血鬼映画の最高傑作！」
A natural rendering is: “Two fangs sink into the neck of a beautiful woman—shuddering terror and eroticism! A supreme masterpiece of vampire cinema!”

Bilingual billing block: orange katakana cast billing names Christopher Lee, Veronica Carlson, Rupert Davies, Barbara Ewing, with Barry Andrews below, while the English title “DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE” appears in pale blue at center.

Cultural context: Hammer in Japan
In Japan the film was sold under the more immediate title 帰って来たドラキュラ and released by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in 1969. The Japanese campaign abandons restraint in favor of towering blood-red typography, overt erotic-horror copy, and the commanding STB signboard format—exactly the kind of street-level visual punch that made imported Hammer horror so memorable in Japanese theatrical advertising.

Printing & format notes
STB / Tatekan posters were designed as standing signboards for Japanese cinema displays. They were printed as two stacked B2 sheets, intended for theatre frames and free-standing display units, and the format was largely phased out by the mid-1970s. That helps explain why surviving older examples are materially harder to find than standard Japanese B2 posters. 

Condition
Displayed at the time; an honest unrestored survivor in very good condition. The two original panels retain strong, saturated colour with expected age and display wear visible in the photos. Presents with excellent wall power. Please review the detailed images carefully—these show the exact poster offered.

Why this example matters
First Japanese release: a tall-format 1969 Japanese theatrical issue for one of Hammer’s most recognizable Christopher Lee Dracula films.

Coveted format: STBs were purpose-made cinema signboards, produced in smaller quantities and surviving less often than regular B2 posters.

Cross-collectible: Hammer horror, Christopher Lee, Japanese graphic design, and late-1960s theatrical advertising all meet in one commanding two-panel piece.

About STB (Tatekan) posters
STBs (tatekans) are tall, two-panel Japanese cinema signboard posters measuring roughly 51 × 145 cm and often also cited around 20 × 58 in / 50.8 × 147.3 cm. Formed from two B2 sheets and intended for display in signboards and theatre units, they were made for visibility rather than permanence, which is why surviving examples are so prized by collectors today.

Certificate of Authenticity included.