Original Japanese Toshiro Mifune Movie Posters

Explore Japan Poster Shop’s exceptional collection of original Japanese Toshiro Mifune movie posters, featuring rare first-release theatrical artwork, historically significant Japanese cinema advertising and exceptionally scarce large-format posters associated with one of the greatest actors in cinema history.

Toshiro Mifune (三船敏郎, 1920–1997) was one of the most influential and internationally celebrated actors in Japanese cinema. Renowned for his extraordinary physical presence, emotional intensity and remarkable versatility, Mifune became an enduring symbol of postwar Japanese filmmaking and one of the defining screen performers of the twentieth century.

His legendary collaboration with director Akira Kurosawa (黒澤明) produced sixteen films between 1948 and 1965, including some of the most acclaimed achievements in cinematic history.

Their early collaborations, including Drunken Angel (1948), Stray Dog (1949) and Rashomon (1950), established Mifune as an actor of exceptional range and helped introduce Japanese cinema to audiences around the world.

Rashomon, awarded the Golden Lion at the 1951 Venice Film Festival, played a pivotal role in the international recognition of Japanese filmmaking. Original Japanese theatrical posters associated with the film’s earliest release campaigns are among the most historically important and desirable examples of Japanese cinema advertising.

Mifune’s performance as Kikuchiyo in Seven Samurai (1954) remains one of the most celebrated in film history. Kurosawa’s monumental masterpiece profoundly influenced generations of filmmakers and helped establish the visual and narrative conventions of modern action and ensemble cinema.

The partnership continued with Throne of Blood (1957), Kurosawa’s extraordinary adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, followed by The Hidden Fortress (1958), Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962), High and Low (1963) and Red Beard (1965).

These films are central to the history of Japanese cinema, and their original Japanese theatrical posters have become highly sought-after artefacts among serious collectors, particularly first-release examples and rare advertising formats.

Japan Poster Shop has assembled an extensive specialist collection of original Japanese Toshiro Mifune movie posters, encompassing more than two hundred items across his remarkable career.

Of particular significance are our holdings of rare original first-release theatrical posters, including material associated with Mifune’s most celebrated collaborations with Akira Kurosawa, alongside important productions by other leading Japanese filmmakers.

Our collection encompasses original Japanese B2 theatrical posters (approximately 51 × 73 cm), rare B1 posters (approximately 73 × 103 cm), large B0 advertising posters, scarce STB Tatekan formats and exceptionally rare oversized theatrical billboards.

These larger formats are particularly important within Japanese film-poster collecting. Produced for prominent cinema advertising and other large-scale promotional displays, they were often distributed in considerably smaller quantities than standard B2 posters. Their substantial dimensions, temporary advertising purpose and demanding display conditions have contributed to the rarity of surviving original examples.

Our holdings also extend beyond Kurosawa’s films to Mifune’s wider career, including important Japanese productions and international films such as Red Sun (1971), demonstrating his extraordinary range and enduring international appeal.

The Japanese theatrical campaigns for Mifune’s films produced some of the most powerful examples of postwar Japanese graphic design, combining expressive portrait photography, hand-rendered illustrations, dramatic typography and distinctive compositions that reflect the artistic ambition of the films themselves.

Original first-release posters from the 1950s and 1960s are particularly desirable, with certain exceptionally scarce formats surviving in very small numbers. These are not simply pieces of film memorabilia, but significant historical artefacts documenting the development of Japanese cinema and its international influence.

Our collection includes posters in a variety of conditions, from original cinema-displayed examples retaining their period character to exceptionally well-preserved, unused and museum-grade rarities suitable for important private collections.

Every poster offered by Japan Poster Shop is an authentic original, carefully sourced within Japan and individually researched, catalogued and photographed. We do not sell reproductions. All posters are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, with worldwide DHL Express shipping available from our gallery in Tokyo.

For collectors seeking an exceptional original Japanese Toshiro Mifune poster, including rare first releases and large-format theatrical advertising, we also welcome enquiries regarding specific titles and formats through our specialist sourcing network in Japan.