"Akira Kurosawa — Kagemusha Storyboard Exhibition", Original Japanese Exhibition Poster, B3 Size (c.36 x 51cm) N60

This striking horizontal poster was issued to promote the Kagemusha (Shadow Warrior) storyboard exhibition held at the Seibu Art Forum, Osaka, 10 Nov – 4 Dec (year shortly after the film’s 1980 release). It advertised a rare public showing of Kurosawa’s full-colour “e-conte” (絵コンテ) paintings for his epic Sengoku-era drama, fresh from winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Poster design

• A dynamic charcoal-and-oil portrait of a Sengoku samurai fills the sheet, rendered in Kurosawa’s own loose brushwork: layered blacks, indigo armour plates and vivid vermilion cords create a brooding, battle-scarred figure.

• The exhibition title 影武者展 (“Kagemusha Exhibition”) is printed in huge vertical kanji on a blood-red banner that slices down the right margin, echoing the film’s crimson war standards.

• Programme details run vertically at left, with Seibu Art Forum as host and cooperation credits to Kurosawa Production, Toho and Kodansha. Admission fee noted as ¥300.
  
  The bold composition—half gallery flyer, half cinematic key art—stands among the most powerful Kurosawa-related posters produced in Japan.

Film & exhibition background
Kagemusha (1980) marked Kurosawa’s triumphant return to large-scale jidaigeki after a decade of setbacks, earning co-grand-prix honours at Cannes and paving the way for Ran. To finance the production, Kurosawa created hundreds of story-paintings whose vivid colours and energetic strokes served as both shooting blueprint and standalone artworks. This exhibition was one of the earliest chances for the public to see those originals outside the studio.

Rarity & format
Printed only for the month-long Osaka show, the poster was never reissued; extant copies are scarce, especially in this landscape orientation.

Condition
Excellent—rich, unfaded colours; light handling only; no paper loss or tape.
Please examine the photos: this is the exact poster for sale.

Key details
• Year printed: c. 1980
• Printer/issuer: Seibu Art Forum, Osaka
• Format rarity: Limited-run exhibition piece
• Provenance: Single-owner Japanese collection

Over 40 years old, this is an original printing—not a reproduction or reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.