{"product_id":"bengal-tiger-white-bone-highway-demon-legend-ベンガルの虎-白骨街道魔伝-official-japanese-curio-seibu-exhibition-poster-1988-b1-size-73-103-cm-ia22","title":"“Bengal Tiger: White Bone Highway Demon Legend” (ベンガルの虎 白骨街道魔伝), Official Japanese Curio \/ Seibu Exhibition Poster 1988, B1 Size (73 × 103 cm) IA22","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"165\" data-end=\"735\"\u003eThis is an official Japanese \u003cstrong data-start=\"194\" data-end=\"211\"\u003eB1 art poster\u003c\/strong\u003e printed in \u003cstrong data-start=\"223\" data-end=\"231\"\u003e1988\u003c\/strong\u003e, not the 1973 street poster itself, but a \u003cstrong data-start=\"274\" data-end=\"309\"\u003epremium authorised reproduction\u003c\/strong\u003e of the original 1973 theatrical poster for Jūrō Kara’s avant-garde play \u003cstrong data-start=\"382\" data-end=\"433\"\u003e“Bengal Tiger: White Bone Highway Demon Legend”\u003c\/strong\u003e (ベンガルの虎 白骨街道魔伝). It was produced for the \u003cstrong data-start=\"475\" data-end=\"530\"\u003eSawako Goda: Gekidan Jōkyō Gekijō Poster Exhibition\u003c\/strong\u003e at \u003cstrong data-start=\"534\" data-end=\"560\"\u003eSeibu Department Store\u003c\/strong\u003e and published by \u003cstrong data-start=\"578\" data-end=\"587\"\u003eCurio\u003c\/strong\u003e, making it an important vintage exhibition printing in its own right and a highly desirable object from the history of Japanese \u003cstrong data-start=\"716\" data-end=\"726\"\u003eangura\u003c\/strong\u003e culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"737\" data-end=\"1051\"\u003eRather than being treated as an ordinary later copy, this 1988 issue is valued by collectors as an \u003cstrong data-start=\"836\" data-end=\"867\"\u003eauthentic vintage art print\u003c\/strong\u003e: an official collaborative printing connected directly to the original artists and to the retrospective exhibition of one of the defining bodies of post-war Japanese theatre graphics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1053\" data-end=\"1067\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1053\" data-end=\"1067\"\u003eBackground\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1069\" data-end=\"1477\"\u003eThe underlying image was created for the 1973 Situation Theatre production written and directed by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1168\" data-end=\"1181\"\u003eJūrō Kara\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the central figures of Japan’s underground theatre movement. Kara’s \u003cstrong data-start=\"1258\" data-end=\"1274\"\u003eJōkyō Gekijō\u003c\/strong\u003e became legendary for its nomadic \u003cstrong data-start=\"1308\" data-end=\"1320\"\u003eRed Tent\u003c\/strong\u003e performances and for pushing Japanese theatre into new territory—politically charged, visually extreme, erotic, grotesque, and defiantly anti-establishment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1479\" data-end=\"2037\"\u003eThis poster also represents an extraordinary convergence of major post-war Japanese artists. The illustration is by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1595\" data-end=\"1610\"\u003eSawako Goda\u003c\/strong\u003e (1940–2016), one of the most distinctive graphic voices of the underground scene, whose theatre posters are now regarded as some of the most important images in the history of Japanese countercultural design. The visual concept is tied to \u003cstrong data-start=\"1850\" data-end=\"1865\"\u003eEikoh Hosoe\u003c\/strong\u003e, among Japan’s most celebrated photographers, while the production itself belongs to the world of \u003cstrong data-start=\"1964\" data-end=\"1977\"\u003eJūrō Kara\u003c\/strong\u003e. That combination alone gives the piece unusual importance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2039\" data-end=\"2056\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2039\" data-end=\"2056\"\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2058\" data-end=\"2587\"\u003eThis is a \u003cstrong data-start=\"2068\" data-end=\"2107\"\u003eremarkable large-format composition\u003c\/strong\u003e, and one of the most visually arresting images to emerge from 1970s Japanese theatre. A snarling Bengal tiger lunges across the lower half of the image, while above it reclines a woman in a dark patterned kimono—identified in the original production context with lead actress \u003cstrong data-start=\"2384\" data-end=\"2417\"\u003eLi Li-hua \/ Li Reisen imagery\u003c\/strong\u003e often associated with the play’s visual world. The tension between animal ferocity and sombre theatrical elegance gives the work its unmistakable \u003cstrong data-start=\"2564\" data-end=\"2576\"\u003eero-guro\u003c\/strong\u003e intensity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2589\" data-end=\"2955\"\u003eAt the top, the huge hand-drawn red calligraphy explodes across the black field, while cascading blue and pink text runs down the right and lower sections with cast and performance information. The overall effect is theatrical, violent, and dreamlike. In \u003cstrong data-start=\"2844\" data-end=\"2850\"\u003eB1\u003c\/strong\u003e, it has tremendous wall presence and feels closer to a major art print than to ordinary poster ephemera.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2957\" data-end=\"3204\"\u003eA particularly important detail for collectors is the presence of the \u003cstrong data-start=\"3027\" data-end=\"3036\"\u003eCURIO\u003c\/strong\u003e logo and \u003cstrong data-start=\"3046\" data-end=\"3055\"\u003eSEIBU\u003c\/strong\u003e credit at lower right, which confirms that this is the sought-after \u003cstrong data-start=\"3124\" data-end=\"3151\"\u003e1988 exhibition edition\u003c\/strong\u003e rather than the original 1973 paste-up street sheet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3206\" data-end=\"3229\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3206\" data-end=\"3229\"\u003ePrinting and format\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3231\" data-end=\"3273\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3231\" data-end=\"3242\"\u003eB1 size\u003c\/strong\u003e: approximately \u003cstrong data-start=\"3258\" data-end=\"3273\"\u003e73 × 103 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3275\" data-end=\"3353\"\u003ePrinted by \u003cstrong data-start=\"3286\" data-end=\"3321\"\u003ehigh-quality offset lithography\u003c\/strong\u003e on substantial semi-gloss stock\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3355\" data-end=\"3434\"\u003eProduced as a \u003cstrong data-start=\"3369\" data-end=\"3398\"\u003epremium exhibition poster\u003c\/strong\u003e, not as a casual later reproduction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3436\" data-end=\"3449\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3436\" data-end=\"3449\"\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3451\" data-end=\"3894\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3451\" data-end=\"3539\"\u003eVery Good. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.\u003c\/strong\u003e The poster presents strongly overall, with rich colour, deep blacks, and impressive display appeal. There is light age-related handling, some edge wear, and signs of prior storage and mounting visible chiefly on the reverse, all consistent with an authentic vintage 1988 exhibition poster. Nothing materially detracts from the overall front presentation. We have taken the condition into account when pricing. Once framed, this poster will display excellently.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3896\" data-end=\"3924\"\u003eIt is \u003cstrong data-start=\"3902\" data-end=\"3923\"\u003eover 38 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3926\" data-end=\"4090\"\u003eIt is \u003cstrong data-start=\"3932\" data-end=\"3971\"\u003enot the original 1973 street poster\u003c\/strong\u003e, but it is an \u003cstrong data-start=\"3986\" data-end=\"4037\"\u003eofficial 1988 Curio \/ Seibu exhibition printing\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"4043\" data-end=\"4089\"\u003enot a modern reproduction or later reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4092\" data-end=\"4133\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"4092\" data-end=\"4133\" data-is-last-node=\"\"\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56819032621434,"sku":null,"price":300.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/man-looking-at-an-art-gallery-wall_13.jpg?v=1776546840","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/bengal-tiger-white-bone-highway-demon-legend-%e3%83%99%e3%83%b3%e3%82%ac%e3%83%ab%e3%81%ae%e8%99%8e-%e7%99%bd%e9%aa%a8%e8%a1%97%e9%81%93%e9%ad%94%e4%bc%9d-official-japanese-curio-seibu-exhibition-poster-1988-b1-size-73-103-cm-ia22","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}