{"product_id":"an-autumn-afternoon-秋刀魚の味-sanma-no-aji-original-first-release-japanese-movie-poster-1962-ultra-rare-stb-size-51-145-cm-q301-gallery-copy","title":"\"An Autumn Afternoon\" (秋刀魚の味), Original First-Release Japanese Movie Poster 1962, Yasujirō Ozu’s Final Film, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) N259","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal Japanese B2 theatrical poster\u003c\/strong\u003e printed in 1962 for the first release of Yasujirō Ozu’s \u003cem\u003eAn Autumn Afternoon\u003c\/em\u003e (秋刀魚の味, \u003cem\u003eSanma no Aji\u003c\/em\u003e). Released by Shochiku on \u003cstrong\u003e18 November 1962\u003c\/strong\u003e, the film became the final work of one of cinema’s most influential directors and the culmination of his lifelong exploration of family, marriage, ageing and generational change.\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginal first-release Japanese paper for Ozu’s films is extremely difficult to find, particularly in this exceptional state of preservation. As the country-of-origin poster for his final film, this example occupies an especially important place within Japanese cinema collecting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFilm background\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten by Ozu with his longtime collaborator \u003cstrong\u003eKōgo Noda\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAn Autumn Afternoon\u003c\/em\u003e follows Shūhei Hirayama, an ageing widower played by Ozu regular Chishū Ryū. Hirayama lives comfortably with his unmarried daughter Michiko and younger son, but gradually comes to believe that Michiko must marry before she sacrifices her own future to care for him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis decision is strengthened by an encounter with a former schoolteacher whose unmarried daughter has remained at home to support him. Recognising the loneliness and regret that may await them both, Hirayama encourages Michiko to leave—even though her marriage will bring an end to the domestic life on which he has quietly depended.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough this deceptively simple narrative, Ozu examines \u003cstrong\u003eparental responsibility, emotional self-denial and the changing structure of the postwar Japanese family\u003c\/strong\u003e. Scenes involving Hirayama’s old school friends, his former naval subordinate and the younger married generation introduce understated comedy alongside the film’s profound awareness of passing time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Japanese title translates literally as \u003cstrong\u003e“The Taste of Saury,”\u003c\/strong\u003e referring to a fish closely associated with autumn in Japan. The internationally adopted title \u003cem\u003eAn Autumn Afternoon\u003c\/em\u003e preserves the seasonal melancholy of the original rather than translating it directly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film was photographed in colour by \u003cstrong\u003eYūharu Atsuta\u003c\/strong\u003e, with production design by Tatsuo Hamada and music by Kojun Saitō. Ozu’s meticulous interiors combine restrained neutral tones with precisely positioned flashes of red, green and yellow—an approach that made his late colour films among the most visually distinctive works of postwar Japanese cinema.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOzu died on \u003cstrong\u003e12 December 1963\u003c\/strong\u003e, his 60th birthday. Although \u003cem\u003eAn Autumn Afternoon\u003c\/em\u003e was not conceived as a final statement—he had begun preparing another project—it has inevitably come to be regarded as his cinematic farewell.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poster’s elegant photographic design reflects the domestic intimacy and emotional restraint of the film. The upper composition is dominated by \u003cstrong\u003eShima Iwashita as Michiko\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eChishū Ryū as her father, Shūhei Hirayama\u003c\/strong\u003e, seated together in a traditional interior.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMichiko’s patterned kimono and red obi contrast beautifully with Hirayama’s dark Western suit. Between them sits a porcelain sake bottle, while Hirayama holds a cup—an understated reference to the drinking rituals that recur throughout the film and accompany many of its most revealing conversations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth figures look directly towards the viewer. Their composed expressions convey neither overt happiness nor sadness, perfectly matching Ozu’s refusal of conventional melodrama.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lower-left inset introduces \u003cstrong\u003eKeiji Sada and Mariko Okada\u003c\/strong\u003e as the younger married couple Kōichi and Akiko Hirayama. Their Western clothing and modern apartment life represent the new consumer society developing around the older generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Japanese title \u003cstrong\u003e秋刀魚の味\u003c\/strong\u003e is printed in large, organic olive-green lettering. Immediately above it, \u003cstrong\u003e総天然色\u003c\/strong\u003e announces that the production is in full colour. The central tagline reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A father’s loving affection as he warmly watches over the happiness of his daughter departing for marriage!”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe upper margin identifies the film as an official participating work in the \u003cstrong\u003e1962 Japanese Arts Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e, while the gold Shochiku crest appears prominently in the top-right corner. The credit \u003cstrong\u003e“Master Director Yasujirō Ozu”\u003c\/strong\u003e reinforces the prestige with which the studio presented the film.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis poster is in \u003cstrong\u003eexcellent+ condition\u003c\/strong\u003e. Its preservation is exceptional for an original first-release poster from 1962: the colours remain rich and beautifully balanced, the photographic imagery is extremely clean, and the typography retains excellent clarity. There are only minimal signs of age and handling, with no conspicuous damage detracting from the design. Once framed, it will display superbly (please refer to the imagery of the exact poster for sale).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is over \u003cstrong\u003e60 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003enot a reproduction or a reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57166167310714,"sku":null,"price":950.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/wall-shelf-with-ornaments-2026-08-15T064049.413.jpg?v=1786743710","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/an-autumn-afternoon-%e7%a7%8b%e5%88%80%e9%ad%9a%e3%81%ae%e5%91%b3-sanma-no-aji-original-first-release-japanese-movie-poster-1962-ultra-rare-stb-size-51-145-cm-q301-gallery-copy","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}