This is a very rare original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the 1966 Japanese release of Django, directed by Sergio Corbucci, starring Franco Nero and distributed in Japan by Towa.
Measuring approximately 51 × 73 cm, this commanding design combines an immense close-up of Nero, an upright revolver and the unforgettable image of Django dragging his coffin. Bold red Japanese lettering provides a vivid contrast to the stark photographic composition.
Film background
Released in Japan on 23 September 1966, Django established Franco Nero as an international star and became one of the defining films of the Spaghetti Western era.
Nero plays a mysterious gunman who arrives near the Mexican border dragging a coffin. After rescuing María, played by Loredana Nusciak, he becomes entangled in a violent struggle between former Confederate soldiers and Mexican revolutionaries.
Corbucci’s bleak landscapes, explosive violence and morally ambiguous hero gave the film a distinctive identity, reinforced by Luis Bacalov’s memorable score. Its success inspired numerous films trading on the Django name, and it remains among the most recognisable and enduringly popular European Westerns.
Poster design
Nero’s intense gaze fills the left side, his face rendered in grainy, high-contrast monochrome. A gloved hand and towering revolver divide the composition, drawing the eye vertically through the sheet.
At upper right, the solitary gunman approaches with a coffin trailing behind him, distilling the film’s most famous visual motif into a small, striking silhouette. Rough wooden structures and a smaller image of María introduce further elements of danger and conflict.
Across the bottom, crimson brush-style lettering spells out the Japanese release title, with the opening character picked out in white:
「続・荒野の用心棒」
“The Bodyguard of the Wilderness: Continued.”
The Japanese title positioned the film as a follow-up to A Fistful of Dollars, although Django is an independent story with a different director and leading actor.
The red promotional line above reads:
「夕陽をあびて さすらいの用心棒が 帰ってきた………」
“Bathed in the setting sun, the wandering bodyguard has returned…”
Cultural significance
Django remains a cornerstone of European Western and cult cinema, with Nero’s coffin-dragging gunfighter among the genre’s most enduring images.
This Japanese design brings together the character’s defining features—the piercing stare, the revolver and the coffin—in a composition of exceptional visual force.
Condition
Very Good / Excellent. The poster shows handling creases, surface wear and minor edge wear. Age-related toning, spotting and staining are present, including a noticeable stained area towards the upper-right front, with further marks and discolouration on the reverse.
The principal imagery and red title retain strong visual impact. We have taken the condition into account when pricing. Once framed, the poster will display excellently.
Please review the additional close-up photographs carefully—they show the exact poster for sale and its signs of age and use.
This is an original Japanese theatrical poster from 1966.
It is not a reproduction or a modern reprint.
It is approximately 60 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
