“Between Wife and Woman” / 妻と女の間, Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1976, Toho / Shiro Toyoda & Kon Ichikawa, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) A259
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1976 for the first release of Between Wife and Woman (Tsuma to Onna no Aida / 妻と女の間), the refined domestic drama directed by Shiro Toyoda and Kon Ichikawa, based on the novel by Harumi Setouchi (later known as Jakuchō Setouchi).
A handsome and culturally evocative Japanese poster, this piece is notable not only for its elegant visual design, but also for the film’s unusual and important place in postwar Japanese cinema. Between Wife and Woman represents a rare collaboration between two major Japanese masters, and it is widely regarded as Shiro Toyoda’s final film, completed with assistance from Kon Ichikawa when Toyoda’s health declined during production.
Film background
Set within the refined yet emotionally fraught world of upper-middle-class domestic life, Between Wife and Woman explores the tensions between outward propriety and private feeling. The story examines female interiority, social expectation, and the subtle emotional rivalries embedded within family and romantic relationships.
The film’s pedigree is especially significant. Shiro Toyoda was one of the great directors of literary adaptations in Japanese cinema, while Kon Ichikawa brought his own unmistakable formal precision and psychological sensitivity. Their joint credit gives the picture a special place in Japanese film history. It also stands as Toyoda’s final completed work before his death in 1977, lending the film and its original poster a deeper historical resonance.
Poster design
This Japanese B2 poster is distinguished by its formal, quietly luxurious composition. At centre is a posed portrait of five elegantly dressed women, each wearing beautifully patterned kimono in contrasting floral and geometric designs. They are arranged within a traditional Japanese interior, framed by tatami mats, shoji screens, and a painted decorative panel, creating an atmosphere of restraint, refinement, and suppressed tension.
The image is highly effective because it presents serenity on the surface while hinting at the emotional complexity beneath. A tetsubin iron kettle in the lower foreground subtly reinforces the domestic setting and the film’s themes of ritual, duty, and contained intensity.
At upper right, the crimson promotional line reads:
「華やぎもなまめきも 美しい和服につつみ隠して 女は 誰にも打ち明けない 秘密を持っている」
“Concealing both radiance and sensuality beneath beautiful traditional dress, a woman carries secrets she confides to no one.”
The title 妻と女の間 is rendered across a soft pink lower band in bold, flowing purple calligraphy, an especially attractive design element that contrasts beautifully with the formal group portrait above.
It is also an especially displayable B2, with an image that works as both a film poster and a striking study in Showa-era costume, femininity, and domestic aesthetics.
Condition
Excellent condition. Please review the photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.
The poster presents very well, with strong colour, clean imagery, and excellent overall display quality. There may be light handling and the expected signs of age consistent with an original theatrical poster from 1976, but overall it remains an unusually well-preserved example.
This is an original 1976 Japanese theatrical B2 poster.
It is not a reproduction or reprint.
It is nearly 50 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
