“Heaven and Earth” / 「天と地と」, Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1990, B1 Size (71 × 103 cm) HA40

This is an original Japanese B1 theatrical poster printed in 1990 for the first release of Heaven and Earth / 「天と地と」, Haruki Kadokawa’s sweeping historical epic set in Japan’s Sengoku period.

A commanding large-format piece, this poster captures the film’s immense visual ambition and is a particularly striking example of late-20th-century Japanese epic cinema advertising.

Film background
Released in 1990, Heaven and Earth dramatizes the legendary rivalry between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, culminating in the great Battles of Kawanakajima. Conceived on a vast scale, the production became famous for its extraordinary battle scenes, staged with thousands of extras and horses rather than modern digital effects.

The film stars Takaaki Enoki, Masahiko Tsugawa, Atsuko Asano, and Naomi Zaizen, and was one of the most commercially successful Japanese films of its year. It remains celebrated for its pageantry, scale, and spectacle.

Poster design
This B1 design is visually powerful and unusually restrained. Rather than relying on portrait montage, it presents a single monumental battlefield image: a vast samurai army advancing beneath a darkened sky, illuminated by fiery tones of gold, amber, and red. The dense mass of mounted warriors and spears is broken by a dramatic field of glowing red battle standards, producing a highly theatrical composition of silhouette and colour.

At the top, the title 「天と地と」 is rendered in bold, sweeping gold calligraphy, while the director credit 監督 角川春樹 appears vertically along the left margin. Down the centre runs the celebrated maxim associated with Uesugi Kenshin:

「運は天にあり。鎧は胸にあり。手柄は足にあり。」
(“Luck is in heaven. Armour is on the chest. Merit is in the feet.”)

The overall effect is austere, monumental, and memorable—an image of war as spectacle, fate, and ritual.

Format note
This is a B1 poster measuring approximately 71 × 103 cm, a prestigious large-format size used for prominent theatrical display. In this case, the scale of the format is especially well suited to the grandeur of the design.

Condition
Excellent condition. Please review the photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.

The poster presents very well, with strong colour, a clean overall appearance, and impressive display presence. Signs of age and handling are minimal for a poster of this size and period.

This is an original 1990 Japanese theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is now over 35 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.