“East Meets West” / 「イースト・ミーツ・ウェスト」, Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1995, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) ZA779

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1995 for the first release of East Meets West / 「イースト・ミーツ・ウェスト」, the ambitious samurai-western adventure written and directed by Kihachi Okamoto and produced by Kazuyoshi Okuyama.

A highly unusual Japanese genre work, East Meets West fuses the samurai film with the American Western, staging a dramatic cultural collision between Japan and the frontier mythology of the United States. This poster captures that premise beautifully through its bold torn-paper layout, vivid desert imagery, and striking central image of a lone samurai standing in the landscape of the American West.

Film background
Released in 1995, East Meets West follows Japanese samurai who travel to America, where their code, weapons, and worldview collide with the customs and violence of the Old West.

Directed and written by Kihachi Okamoto, one of Japan’s great genre filmmakers, the film stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Ittoku Kishibe, and Naoto Takenaka. It belongs to a fascinating late-career phase of Okamoto’s work, combining action, historical adventure, humour, and cross-cultural spectacle.

The film is especially notable for its bold hybrid identity: part jidaigeki, part Western, and part international adventure film.

Poster design
The poster uses a dramatic torn-paper collage motif, dividing the composition into cinematic fragments. At the centre, a samurai stands with his back to the viewer, katana drawn, facing the vast red-rock desert landscape of Monument Valley. The image immediately communicates the film’s central idea: the samurai myth transported into the American West.

Across the middle, the English title EAST MEETS WEST appears in large red block lettering, with the Japanese phonetic title 「イースト・ミーツ・ウェスト」 beneath.

The upper Japanese tagline reads:

「サムライは東から来た。少年は西で生まれた。」
“The samurai came from the East. The boy was born in the West.”

Additional torn-image panels show a young boy in a cowboy hat, a Japanese man in modern dress, a Native American-style archer, and a gunman aiming forward. These fragments create a strong sense of adventure and cultural encounter.

The overall design is bold, theatrical, and highly memorable: samurai cinema, Western landscape, action adventure, and 1990s Japanese blockbuster styling brought together in one dynamic poster.

Release note
This poster was printed for the film’s original 1995 Japanese theatrical release.

It is an original period Japanese cinema poster, not a later reproduction or commercial reprint.

Condition
Excellent condition. A very attractive example, with strong colour, clean imagery, sharp title typography, and excellent overall display impact.

Please review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.

This is an original 1995 Japanese theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is now over 30 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.