"100,000 Dollars for Ringo (荒野の10万ドル)", Original Japanese Billboard (B1 × 2 “tatekan” style), printed in 1967 — Ultra‑Rare Theatrical Two‑Sheet (approx. 103 × 146 cm / 40.6 × 57.5 in)
100,000 Dollars for Ringo (荒野の10万ドル)
Original Japanese Billboard (B1 × 2 “tatekan” style), 1967 — Ultra‑Rare Theatrical Two‑Sheet (approx. 103 × 146 cm / 40.6 × 57.5 in)
Why this piece matters
By the mid‑1960s the Western had been remixed worldwide. America’s revisionist cycle met the Italian “Spaghetti” wave led by Sergio Leone—and Japan embraced both, thanks to a rich cross‑pollination with samurai cinema (Kurosawa’s Yojimbo → Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars). Street‑side vertical boards (tatekans) and stacked billboards like this were mounted outside cinemas and transit hubs; after the run, almost all were discarded. Survivals—especially B1 × 2 billboards—are exceptionally scarce.
Title & edition
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Japanese title: 荒野の10万ドル (Kōya no Jūman Dorru / “100,000 Dollars of the Wasteland”)
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International title: 100,000 Dollars for Ringo (1965, It./Spa.)
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Japan release: 1967 Japanese‑dubbed edition — noted on the green vertical band: イタリア西部劇・日本語発声版 (“Italian Western, Japanese‑language sound version”).
Film & genre context
An early, crowd‑pleasing Spaghetti Western starring Richard Harrison (named on the poster: リチャード・ハリソン) with genre mainstay Fernando Sancho (フェルナンド・サンチョ). The film rode the “Ringo” boom—Italian producers frequently appended the name to capitalize on Giuliano Gemma’s smash hits—feeding Japan’s craze for hard‑edged, morally ambiguous gunmen analogous to wandering ronin. This billboard is a vivid artifact of that East‑meets‑West moment.
Design highlights (and translations)
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Monumental close‑up with drawn revolver: the hero looms at right, a classic Italo‑Western framing that centers the pistol and squinting gunman.
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Dust‑storm cavalry panorama: the lower panel erupts with riders and a striking blonde rider in a crimson jacket—a strong color anchor against ochre sand.
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Calligraphic title: the huge red brush lettering 荒野の10万ドル cuts diagonally through the left, delivering impact at street distance.
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Right‑side vertical copy (pink/red): a hype line promising the genre’s cruelty and speed—roughly:
“Savage! Cruel! A quick‑draw gunman, burning with revenge, wanders the wasteland… In the town of death, a massacre‑like shootout unfolds!” -
Green band copy: “Italian Western / Japanese‑dubbed release.”
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Credits cluster (yellow): cast list headed by Richard Harrison and Fernando Sancho (others follow in katakana).
The composition, color blocking, and oversized kanji typify Japan’s poster craft of the period—often regarded as the world’s most dynamic Western advertising, even against fierce US and Italian competition.
Format & size
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Billboard two‑sheet (B1 × 2) — designed to be displayed one B1 on top of another in a tall stack like a giant STB.
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Approx. 103 × 146 cm (40.6 × 57.5 in).
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Printed for theatrical display only; never sold at retail.
Condition
Unrestored and excellent vintage condition for this fragile format: rich, unfaded color; original machine folds with modest handling; tiny edge touches consistent with billboard mounting. No linen‑backing. Please review the provided images—this is the exact billboard offered.
Rarity
B1×2 billboards were workhorses of outdoor promotion and were almost always destroyed after use. Survival rates are a fraction of standard B2 or even STB posters. This title is ultra rare in any Japanese format; in billboard form it’s a true collector’s outlier.
Summary
A towering, dust‑charged Spaghetti Western billboard that captures the 1960s feedback loop between Italy, America, and Japan—where the lone gunman and the wandering ronin traded iconography. For collectors of Westerns, Japanese design, or cross‑cultural film history, this is a standout, display‑dominant piece from the golden era of the genre’s global reinvention.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
