“Princess Mononoke” (もののけ姫), Original Japanese First-Release Theatre-Listing Poster 1997, B3 Size (36.4 × 51.5 cm) P249

This is an original Japanese B3 poster printed in 1997 for the first domestic theatrical release campaign of Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫), Hayao Miyazaki’s landmark Studio Ghibli epic. Produced by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten / Nippon Television Network / Dentsu and distributed theatrically in Japan by Toho, the film featured voice performances by Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yūko Tanaka, and others, with Joe Hisaishi’s magnificent score. It became Japan’s biggest box-office hit of 1997 and remains one of the defining achievements of modern animation.

In Japan, B3 posters were commonly used as nakazuri railway and bus-interior displays—smaller than the standard B2 and designed to hang inside trains and other public-transport spaces. Because they were printed in lower quantities and were rarely kept after use, surviving original examples are much scarcer than standard cinema posters. This particular first-run B3 is especially desirable: it is the “大ヒット上映中!!” (“Big Hit / Now Showing”) theatre-listing variant from the film’s original 1997 Japanese release, with a bold right-hand panel naming Tokyo / Yokohama / Kawasaki venues and national Toho exhibition copy. It uses the classic San-and-Moro campaign artwork rather than the more common standalone B2 cinema sheet. Many later official Princess Mononoke reproductions have circulated for years, often sold through Ghibli retail channels at modest prices, but this example is an original 1997 first-release printing, not one of the modern reissues.

Film background
Set in late-Muromachi Japan, the film follows Ashitaka, an Emishi prince cursed after defending his village from a demonic boar god. His search for a cure draws him into a violent struggle between the gods and spirits of the forest and the encroaching human world. Refusing simple heroes and villains, Miyazaki created an epic meditation on nature, industry, violence, and survival that would go on to become one of the most influential animated films ever made.

Poster design
This B3 uses one of the film’s most iconic pieces of campaign imagery: San stands in the foreground, bloodied and defiant, knife in hand, backed by the immense white visage of the wolf goddess Moro. The silver vertical tagline 「生きろ。」 (“Live.”) on the left is one of the most memorable slogans in Japanese film advertising, while the huge red title 「もののけ姫」 and blue 「宮崎 駿 監督作品」 credit give the sheet unmistakable first-release impact. The striking white theatre panel on the right—headed by the oversized 「大ヒット上映中!!」 copy—is the key identifying feature of this variant, tying it directly to the film’s original 1997 exhibition run. This size is much rarer than the B2, and this first-run theatre-listing issue is rarer still—an excellent piece of original Japanese Princess Mononoke release ephemera from the film’s historic 1997 rollout.

Condition
Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale. 

It is nearly 30 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.