“Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis” (帝都物語) Original release Japanese poster, 1988 — extremely rare in B1 and in excellent condition (B1 approx. 103 × 72.8 cm)

Original release Japanese poster, 1988 — an exceptionally striking design for Akio Jissoji’s cult supernatural epic, presented in the extremely scarce B1 format.

An original Japanese B1 cinema poster for Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (Teito Monogatari), Akio Jissoji’s ambitious adaptation of Hiroshi Aramata’s novel. A remarkable meeting of occult fantasy, historical spectacle and supernatural horror, the film introduced cinema audiences to Kyusaku Shimada’s unforgettable portrayal of Yasunori Kato.

Extremely difficult to find in B1, this design makes extraordinary use of its scale. Kato’s immense, shadowed face, piercing yellow eyes and black military cap dominate a composition of electric blue symbolism, pink celestial light and a threatened city skyline. The colours are wonderfully strong, and the poster has tremendous presence: an imposing piece of Japanese cinema design that rewards both close inspection and viewing from across a room.

Details

• Film: Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis

• Japanese title: 帝都物語 — Teito Monogatari

• Year: 1988

• Original Japanese release: 30 January 1988

• Country: Japan

• Director: Akio Jissoji

• Screenplay: Kaizo Hayashi

• Original novel: Hiroshi Aramata

• Principal cast: Kyusaku Shimada, Shintaro Katsu, Mieko Harada and Junichi Ishida

• Music: Maki Ishii

• Cinematography: Masao Nakabori

• Film art direction: Takeo Kimura

• Original distributor: Toho

• Format: Japanese B1, portrait, single-sided

• Dimensions: Approximately 103 × 72.8 cm

• Condition: Excellent overall, with a small edge tear repaired on the verso using archival acid-free tape; further details below

Context: Akio Jissoji and the occult metropolis

Akio Jissoji’s career moved between television fantasy and adventurous art cinema, encompassing work on Ultraman as well as films such as This Transient Life and Mandala. His attraction to unusual compositions, disquieting atmosphere and the collision of the everyday with the extraordinary made him a particularly compelling director for Aramata’s material.

Teito Monogatari imagines the development of modern Tokyo as a struggle involving spiritual forces, historical personalities and buried resentments. Adapted from the opening four volumes of Aramata’s novel, the film brings together the city’s transformation, supernatural conflict and the upheaval of the Great Kanto Earthquake.

Its creative team was equally distinctive. Alongside Jissoji, screenwriter Kaizo Hayashi and art director Takeo Kimura, H. R. Giger contributed as the film’s conceptual designer. The resulting production combines elaborate period settings with unsettling creatures and spectacular visions of destruction.

Kyusaku Shimada: the face of Yasunori Kato

In his film debut, Kyusaku Shimada created an immediately memorable antagonist as Yasunori Kato, the mysterious figure intent on Tokyo’s destruction. His severe military appearance and extraordinary screen presence give the supernatural threat a recognisable human form.

The poster places that performance at the centre of its appeal. Almost everything resolves around the face beneath the cap: the sharply illuminated nose, the shadowed expression and, above all, those brilliant yellow eyes.

A particularly interesting detail appears in the printed cast credits, where Shimada is identified as 嶋田久作（新人）, marking him as a newcomer. It connects the poster directly to the arrival of an actor whose portrayal of Kato would become inseparable from the film’s identity.

The film this poster represents

A cult favourite with the ambition of a major cinematic spectacle

Released in Japan in January 1988, Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis was a substantial production, with elaborate effects, a large ensemble cast and extensive sets recreating the capital of an earlier age. It became one of Japan’s leading domestic releases that year.

The story follows Kato’s attempts to destroy Tokyo and the efforts of those who oppose him. Fictional characters encounter historical figures, while the spirit of Taira no Masakado, occult practices and the city’s modernisation become part of the same expansive narrative.

Its lasting appeal lies in that unusual combination: historical imagination, supernatural horror and extravagant visual invention. Later retrospective screenings, including Japan Society’s celebration of the film’s thirty-fifth anniversary in 2023, reflect its continuing place in cult cinema.

For collectors, this poster captures that appeal with exceptional directness. The face, the symbols and the city below establish the film’s threatening atmosphere before a single line of its story is known.

The poster

Yellow eyes, electric blue symbols and a city beneath a red moon

This is a wonderfully forceful composition. The glossy black cap occupies much of the upper sheet, creating a broad field of darkness from which the eyes emerge. Beneath it, the face extends almost to the skyline, giving Kato a scale that feels overwhelming.

At the lower right, an enormous red and pink cratered moon hangs above the buildings. Diagonal streaks of blue and violet light connect the upper and lower portions of the design, while the city is surrounded by a spectral, flame-like glow.

The lettering is equally important. Large cream brush-style characters descend down the right side, balanced by the heavy grey title with its red edging on the left. The contrast between photographic detail, geometric symbols and expressive Japanese lettering gives the poster its distinctive character.

Key visual elements, as seen in the artwork:

• The immense portrait of Kato beneath a glossy black military cap.

• Brilliant yellow eyes set against deep shadow.

• Two overlapping blue pentagram outlines at the upper right.

• A huge red and pink cratered moon above the city.

• Dark skyline silhouettes surrounded by luminous, flame-like forms.

• Bold vertical Japanese lettering in cream, grey and red.

The dominant slogan reads:

我を崇めよ
“Worship me.”

The accompanying text identifies the antagonist:

神堕しの魔人、加藤保憲
“Yasunori Kato, the demon who brings down the gods.”

Alongside it is the threat:

「みんなこわしてやる！」
“I’ll destroy everything!”

At approximately 103 cm high, the B1 format gives these elements exceptional impact. The portrait becomes imposing, the fine lunar detail becomes more apparent, and the contrast between the dark ground and bright colours has real depth.

Rarity and survival

An extremely elusive design in the large B1 format

This poster is extremely hard to find in B1. For collectors of Teito Monogatari, Japanese supernatural cinema or the work of Akio Jissoji, the large format is a particularly compelling way to own this design.

The composition benefits enormously from the additional scale. Kato’s face and the looming moon have room to dominate, while the smaller cast credits, skyline details and Japanese typography remain rewarding to examine.

It is a striking addition to a collection of Japanese horror and fantasy posters, with the visual strength to serve as a centrepiece in its own right. The combination of an elusive format, memorable imagery and excellent overall presentation makes this an especially appealing example.

Condition

Excellent overall, with a small archival repair to the verso

The poster is in excellent overall condition. A tiny edge tear has been repaired from the verso using archival acid-free tape. The repair is shown in the accompanying photographs and sits towards the upper right edge when the poster is viewed from the front.

The close-up images also show light edge creasing and minor handling marks. These should be considered alongside the repair when assessing the sheet, while the principal portrait and the overall composition remain beautifully presented.

The colours are particularly effective: the deep dark background, vivid yellow eyes, electric blues and rich pinks retain excellent visual strength.

Condition includes:

• Excellent overall presentation.

• Strong colour and contrast throughout the principal artwork.

• A tiny edge tear repaired on the verso with archival acid-free tape.

• Light edge creasing and minor handling marks visible in the close-up photographs.

• Front and verso photographs showing the poster’s condition and the repair.

Please refer to all photographs, including the close-up and reverse images, as part of the condition description.

Once framed, with or without a mount, this poster will display exceptionally well. An extremely scarce B1 with commanding presence and a wonderfully sinister design.