“KIYOSHI AWAZU – 冬の花 / FUYU NO HANA（ヒロシマのこころ / Hiroshima no Kokoro）,” Japanese Theatre Poster for Bungakuza, Original Offset c. 1970s, Ultra Rare, B2 Size (c. 51.5 × 72.8 cm) ZA703
A striking original 1970s Japanese theatre poster designed by Kiyoshi Awazu (粟津潔) for Bungakuza (文学座) and their production of Winter Flower (冬の花), featuring the evocative subtitle 「ヒロシマのこころ」 (“Hiroshima no Kokoro”). Printed in bold, saturated colour blocks around a moody, atmospheric central image, this is a quintessential Awazu composition—typography as drama, colour as stage-light, and abstraction as narrative—offered here in excellent overall condition.
Printed in Japan in the 1970s, this is an original period theatre poster on thick, high‑quality stock (not a reproduction or later reprint), in the classic Japanese B2 format at approximately 72.8 × 51.5 cm. The design is framed by high-contrast red, blue, green, and purple title and information panels—an unmistakable Awazu device—surrounding a central image that reads like a spotlighted scene: golden cloud forms suspended over a deep green field, with a luminous pool of yellow at the base punctuated by the silhouette of a single bird.
About Kiyoshi Awazu and Bungakuza’s “Winter Flower”
Kiyoshi Awazu is a stellar figure in Japanese graphic design history. Born in 1929, he was a self‑taught painter and graphic designer whose genre‑bending practice moved fluidly between painting, posters, theatre, and architecture—work driven by a restless creative energy that refused conventional boundaries.
This poster was produced for Bungakuza, a major Japanese theatre company, for their staging of Winter Flower (冬の花). The subtitle printed across the title—「ヒロシマのこころ」—adds a further emotional register, suggesting a work rooted in memory, aftermath, and the quiet intensity Awazu so often translated into visual form.
Design and Iconography
Awazu’s layout is both architectural and theatrical: a rigorously bordered composition that feels like a proscenium framing the scene. The top band blazes in red with the large white title 冬の花, cut through by the green handwritten subtitle—an intentional disruption, like a spoken line crossing a stage picture.
The side panels in blue and green compress dense vertical Japanese text—cast and production details—into strong typographic columns. These information blocks function as both content and structure, balancing the poster’s emotional centre with a modernist sense of order.
At the heart of the sheet, the imagery turns poetic: a nocturnal, grainy atmosphere with bright, almost phosphorescent yellow cloud shapes above, and a glowing oval reflection below. The solitary bird silhouette becomes the smallest—and most human—gesture in the entire design, anchoring the composition with stillness. The overall effect is haunting, cinematic, and intensely graphic: a quiet scene made monumental by colour, contrast, and scale.
Rarity and Collectibility
Original Japanese theatre posters were printed in far fewer numbers than film posters, and survival rates are significantly lower—many were posted, handled, and discarded once a run ended. This example is especially desirable: a period Bungakuza sheet designed by Awazu at the height of his powers, and a design that is highly regarded among Japanese and international graphic design collectors.
Condition
Excellent condition for an original theatre poster of this age.
The sheet presents beautifully with strong colour and a clean overall appearance. There is a faint horizontal line across the lower half of the poster, along with some minor edge wear. Once framed, it will display exceptionally well. Please refer closely to the front and back images, as the photographs show the exact poster offered here.
It is circa 50 years old.
Additional Information
Authenticity: Guaranteed original 1970s Japanese theatre poster; not a reproduction or a reprint.
Paper: Thick stock, high‑quality paper typical of period theatre printing.
Certificate: Certificate of Authenticity included.
A museum‑level piece of Japanese theatre ephemera—bold, atmospheric, and unmistakably Awazu—ideal for collectors of post‑war Japanese graphic design, theatre history, and rare original posters.
