{"product_id":"an-autumn-afternoon-original-release-japanese-movie-poster-1962-yasujiro-ozu-ultra-rare-b2-size-51-x-73cm-j35-gallery-copy","title":"\"“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)","description":"\u003cp\u003eJapanese title: \u003cstrong\u003e「秋刀魚の味」\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cem\u003eSanma no Aji\u003c\/em\u003e — literally “The Taste of Pacific Saury”; released internationally as \u003cem\u003eAn Autumn Afternoon\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003cbr\u003eSize: \u003cstrong\u003eSTB \/ approx. 20 × 57 in. (51 × 145 cm)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCountry \/ Studio: \u003cstrong\u003eJapan \/ Shochiku Ofuna Studio (松竹大船撮影所)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFirst Japanese release: \u003cstrong\u003e18 November 1962\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrinted for the film’s \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal 1962 Japanese theatrical release\u003c\/strong\u003e, this first-release \u003cstrong\u003eSTB \/ tatekan\u003c\/strong\u003e is an exceptionally scarce large-format poster for \u003cstrong\u003eYasujirō Ozu’s final completed film\u003c\/strong\u003e. Standard Japanese B2 posters for Ozu’s major works are already difficult to obtain; the complete two-panel STB format is rarer still.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJapanese tatekan posters were constructed from two B2 sheets designed to be displayed together as a single, towering composition. They were working cinema advertisements rather than objects intended for long-term preservation, and complete surviving sets are consequently difficult to find.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the \u003cstrong\u003efirst original STB for this title that we have ever handled\u003c\/strong\u003e. Public documentation of this exact first-release format is extremely sparse and it is extremely rare. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDesign highlights\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a magnificent example of \u003cstrong\u003eearly-1960s Shochiku colour poster design\u003c\/strong\u003e, combining commanding photographic portraiture with monumental Japanese calligraphy. The large upper image presents \u003cstrong\u003eShima Iwashita as Michiko and Chishū Ryū as her widowed father, Shūhei Hirayama\u003c\/strong\u003e, positioned within the precisely ordered domestic environment that is so central to Ozu’s cinema.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe enormous green title \u003cstrong\u003e「秋刀魚の味」\u003c\/strong\u003e, accompanied by the phonetic reading \u003cstrong\u003e「さんま」\u003c\/strong\u003e, runs vertically along the right side. Above it, \u003cstrong\u003e「総天然色」\u003c\/strong\u003e announces that the film is presented in full colour. The restrained browns, greys and whites of the interior are punctuated by the brilliant red of Michiko’s skirt—a bold colour accent closely aligned with the carefully controlled palette of Ozu’s late films.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lower section features \u003cstrong\u003eKeiji Sada and Mariko Okada\u003c\/strong\u003e, with additional colour portraits of \u003cstrong\u003eShin’ichirō Mikami, Daisuke Katō and Teruo Yoshida\u003c\/strong\u003e. The printed cast billing also includes \u003cstrong\u003eNobuo Nakamura, Eijirō Tōno, Kuniko Miyake, Ryūji Kita, Kyōko Kishida, Haruko Sugimura, Toyo Takahashi and Noriko Maki\u003c\/strong\u003e, among others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe left-hand promotional copy reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e「嫁ぐ日近い娘の感傷！微笑のうちにそくそくと胸に通う父の慈愛！」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis may be translated as: \u003cstrong\u003e“The wistful feelings of a daughter whose wedding day draws near! A father’s love, quietly and poignantly felt beneath his smile!”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poster identifies the production as a \u003cstrong\u003e1962 Arts Festival participating work\u003c\/strong\u003e—\u003cstrong\u003e「昭和三十七年度 芸術祭参加作品」\u003c\/strong\u003e—and prominently describes it as a film by master director Yasujirō Ozu. It also carries the period wording \u003cstrong\u003e「松竹百万円大懸賞候補作品」\u003c\/strong\u003e, referring to a Shochiku promotional prize competition rather than a formal critical award.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrinted production credits include screenplay by \u003cstrong\u003eKōgo Noda and Yasujirō Ozu\u003c\/strong\u003e, cinematography by \u003cstrong\u003eYūharu Atsuta\u003c\/strong\u003e, and production by \u003cstrong\u003eShizuo Yamanouchi\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCultural impact\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn Autumn Afternoon\u003c\/em\u003e follows widower Shūhei Hirayama, who lives comfortably with his 24-year-old daughter Michiko and younger son Kazuo. Accustomed to Michiko managing the household, Hirayama initially resists suggestions that she should marry. His attitude changes after encountering a former teacher whose daughter has sacrificed her own future to care for her ageing father.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOzu transforms this apparently simple domestic situation into a profound exploration of \u003cstrong\u003eparental responsibility, marriage, ageing, loneliness, sacrifice and the inevitability of change\u003c\/strong\u003e. Hirayama understands that helping his daughter leave is the correct and loving decision, even though it will bring about his own solitude.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film revisits the father-and-daughter relationship explored in \u003cem\u003eLate Spring\u003c\/em\u003e, but places it within a distinctly early-1960s Japan. Traditional family obligations coexist with salaried office life, suburban apartments, household appliances, golf clubs, whisky bars and memories of the wartime generation. Ozu observes this changing society without easy judgement, balancing melancholy with understated comedy and characteristic emotional restraint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVisually, the film represents the culmination of Ozu’s mature style: \u003cstrong\u003elow, largely static camera positions, frontal compositions, precise architectural geometry, straight cuts and transitional views of streets, interiors and industrial landscapes\u003c\/strong\u003e. It was the \u003cstrong\u003esixth and final colour feature\u003c\/strong\u003e of his career, with a subtle palette punctuated by carefully positioned flashes of red.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough now inevitably viewed as Ozu’s farewell, it was \u003cstrong\u003enot conceived as a deliberate final statement\u003c\/strong\u003e. Ozu had already begun making notes for another project before his death from cancer on \u003cstrong\u003e12 December 1963, his 60th birthday\u003c\/strong\u003e. Nevertheless, \u003cem\u003eAn Autumn Afternoon\u003c\/em\u003e has come to be regarded as an extraordinary summation of the themes and visual language he had refined over more than three decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film placed \u003cstrong\u003eNo. 8 in Kinema Junpo’s 1962 Japanese Film Best Ten\u003c\/strong\u003e. At the 17th Mainichi Film Concours, work associated with the film was recognised through awards for \u003cstrong\u003eEijirō Tōno’s supporting performance, Kyōko Kishida’s supporting performance and Yūharu Atsuta’s cinematography\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts international reputation has continued to grow. A digitally restored version created by Shochiku with Japan’s National Film Center and National Museum of Modern Art was presented in \u003cstrong\u003eCannes Classics in 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e. The film later placed \u003cstrong\u003ejoint No. 185 in Sight and Sound’s 2022 critics’ poll of the greatest films ever made\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, Ozu is recognised as \u003cstrong\u003eone of the central figures in world cinema\u003c\/strong\u003e, celebrated for demonstrating how the quiet routines of family life can carry immense emotional and philosophical weight. \u003cem\u003eAn Autumn Afternoon\u003c\/em\u003e remains one of his most moving works and one of cinema’s great final films.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExcellent\u003c\/strong\u003e, particularly for an original 1962 two-panel STB. Both sections are complete and present extremely well from the front, retaining \u003cstrong\u003estrong photographic colour, vivid green title lettering and excellent overall visual impact\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poster has very faint horizontal folds (a very common feature of original Japanese posters), minor handling creases, and general age toning. These are consistent with the age, size and original theatrical function of the poster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is \u003cstrong\u003eage-related brown staining and foxing principally visible on the reverse\u003c\/strong\u003e. The most noticeable area is a pronounced horizontal band across the verso of the lower panel. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe staining is \u003cstrong\u003efar less noticeable when the poster is viewed from the front\u003c\/strong\u003e and does not significantly detract from its display quality. Once professionally framed, this will make a \u003cstrong\u003efantastic and commanding display piece\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe two sections are separate and the poster has not been restored or linenbacked. Please examine all photographs carefully, including the verso images, as they show the \u003cstrong\u003eexact poster offered for sale and form part of the condition description\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003eover 63 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\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout STB (Tatekan) posters\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJapanese \u003cstrong\u003eSTB \/ tatekan\u003c\/strong\u003e posters were tall standing-board cinema advertisements formed from two vertically aligned B2 sheets. Each B2 sheet measures approximately \u003cstrong\u003e51.5 × 72.8 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e, producing an assembled display of approximately \u003cstrong\u003e51 × 145 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e, or \u003cstrong\u003e20 × 57 inches\u003c\/strong\u003e, allowing for the intended overlap between the two sections.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese posters were created for conspicuous theatre display and were frequently mounted, handled and discarded after use. Complete examples are therefore considerably more difficult to obtain than conventional single-sheet Japanese posters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor \u003cstrong\u003eOzu’s final completed film\u003c\/strong\u003e, an original first-release STB of this visual quality and completeness is particularly significant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn ultra-rare and imposing large-format piece of Japanese cinematic history—and the first original STB for this title that we have ever handled.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57159506395514,"sku":null,"price":2950.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/man-standing-in-front-of-gallery-wall_35.jpg?v=1786528584","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/an-autumn-afternoon-original-release-japanese-movie-poster-1962-yasujiro-ozu-ultra-rare-b2-size-51-x-73cm-j35-gallery-copy","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}