This is an original Japanese poster printed in 1963 for the first release of "Hiken" (Young Samurai).
This almost 5′ tall STB poster features fantastic artwork. The tatekan STB format had much lower print numbers compared to regular Japanese B2s. They are very rare, especially for more popular film titles, and are highly sought after by collectors today.
Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki (稲垣 浩), who is very famous for his Samurai Trilogy, which chronicled the life of Miyamoto Musashi in a fantastic fashion. Inagaki brough Musashi back in brilliant fashion in Hiken in 1963.
There were strict restrictions after World War 2 on the type of "action" films that Japanese Directors could make (e.g. no modern war films), therefore many director`s chose to make Samurai films that are seen as some of the best films ever made.
"Hiroshi Inagaki is best known in the west for his Toshiro Mifune vehicle Samurai Trilogy. But one of his most artful films is practically unknown, Hiken or The Secret Sword (Young Samurai), which has long had a rarely shown 35 mm subtitled print available with the title Young Swordsman. It has been issued as an unsubtitled DVD, & we can only hope that a subtitled version is made available by one of the few enterprising distributors of Japanese classics in America, as it has long been my favorite Inagaki film.
A black & white film with the elegance of an Akira Kurosawa classic, Young Swordsman stars Shogoro Ichikawa as Tenzen the young swordsman possessed by his own evil sword style, & Hiroyuki Nagato is Chojuro the opponent who must learn to defeat evil. This theme is echoed in the classic Sword of Doom (1966) starring Tatsuya Nakadai as the swordsman who develops a deceptive sword style, & becomes himself deceitful, on the premise that the sword reflects the soul, & an evil sword style corrupts the soul."
(Source: WWR)
It is over 61 years old!
This poster is in excellent condition. Please refer to the imagery (both front and back) as this is the exact poster that is for sale.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
B38