{"product_id":"double-suicide-心中天網島-original-japanese-first-release-movie-poster-1969-b2-size-51-73-cm","title":"“Double Suicide” (心中天網島), Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1969, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) Q75","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"111\" data-end=\"647\"\u003eThis is an original Japanese \u003cstrong data-start=\"140\" data-end=\"178\"\u003efirst-release B2 theatrical poster\u003c\/strong\u003e for \u003cstrong data-start=\"183\" data-end=\"205\"\u003eMasahiro Shinoda’s\u003c\/strong\u003e 1969 masterpiece \u003cem data-start=\"223\" data-end=\"239\"\u003eDouble Suicide\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cem data-start=\"241\" data-end=\"265\"\u003eShinjū: Ten no Amijima\u003c\/em\u003e), starring \u003cstrong data-start=\"277\" data-end=\"299\"\u003eKichiemon Nakamura\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong data-start=\"304\" data-end=\"322\"\u003eShima Iwashita\u003c\/strong\u003e. The poster design is by \u003cstrong data-start=\"348\" data-end=\"365\"\u003eKiyoshi Awazu\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the National Film Archive of Japan has included the \u003cstrong data-start=\"428\" data-end=\"434\"\u003eB2\u003c\/strong\u003e of this design in its major exhibitions on Japanese film posters, a strong indication of its standing within the canon of postwar Japanese graphic design (we have included an image taken by us at the NFAJ by us in April 2026). \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"649\" data-end=\"668\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"649\" data-end=\"668\"\u003eFilm background\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"670\" data-end=\"1263\"\u003eAdapted from a play by \u003cstrong data-start=\"693\" data-end=\"717\"\u003eMonzaemon Chikamatsu\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"719\" data-end=\"735\"\u003eDouble Suicide\u003c\/em\u003e is one of Shinoda’s most extraordinary achievements: a stylised black-and-white tragedy that fuses cinema with the visual and theatrical grammar of \u003cstrong data-start=\"884\" data-end=\"895\"\u003ebunraku\u003c\/strong\u003e puppet theatre. Criterion notes that the film uses traditional Japanese theatrical forms with “shocking cinematic effect,” while the cast list confirms \u003cstrong data-start=\"1048\" data-end=\"1060\"\u003eNakamura\u003c\/strong\u003e as Jihei and \u003cstrong data-start=\"1074\" data-end=\"1086\"\u003eIwashita\u003c\/strong\u003e in the dual role of \u003cstrong data-start=\"1107\" data-end=\"1124\"\u003eKoharu \/ Osan\u003c\/strong\u003e. The score is by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1142\" data-end=\"1160\"\u003eToru Takemitsu\u003c\/strong\u003e, whose music adds further tension and ritual beauty to the work. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1265\" data-end=\"1282\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1265\" data-end=\"1282\"\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1284\" data-end=\"1899\"\u003eThis poster is, quite simply, \u003cstrong data-start=\"1314\" data-end=\"1361\"\u003eone of the great designs of Japanese cinema\u003c\/strong\u003e. Awazu’s composition is both graphic and theatrical: a dense central field of linework and symbolic imagery framed by a border of stark monochrome film stills, all anchored by the bold vertical title calligraphy. The result mirrors the film’s own fusion of abstraction, performance, and emotional extremity. It is not merely an advertisement but a fully resolved work of graphic art, and its repeated exhibition by the National Film Archive of Japan helps explain why collectors regard it so highly. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1901\" data-end=\"2324\"\u003eWhat makes this example especially important is that it is the \u003cstrong data-start=\"1964\" data-end=\"1993\"\u003eoriginal first-release B2\u003c\/strong\u003e, the format most closely associated with Japanese theatrical display, yet far scarcer in this title than ordinary commercial posters of the period. For collectors of Japanese film design, \u003cstrong data-start=\"2182\" data-end=\"2191\"\u003eAwazu\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"2193\" data-end=\"2204\"\u003eShinoda\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"2206\" data-end=\"2228\"\u003eATG-era aesthetics\u003c\/strong\u003e, or major 1960s poster art, this is a museum-level piece. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2326\" data-end=\"2739\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2326\" data-end=\"2339\"\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"2339\" data-end=\"2342\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2342\" data-end=\"2430\"\u003eExcellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.\u003c\/strong\u003e The poster presents \u003cstrong data-start=\"2451\" data-end=\"2477\"\u003eextremely well overall\u003c\/strong\u003e, with strong contrast, rich blacks, and excellent display impact. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2741\" data-end=\"2769\"\u003eIt is \u003cstrong data-start=\"2747\" data-end=\"2768\"\u003eover 57 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2771\" data-end=\"2813\"\u003eIt is \u003cstrong data-start=\"2777\" data-end=\"2812\"\u003enot a reproduction or a reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2815\" data-end=\"2856\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2815\" data-end=\"2856\"\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56829165699450,"sku":null,"price":1950.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/wall-shelf-with-ornaments-2026-04-22T123801.940.jpg?v=1776829111","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/double-suicide-%e5%bf%83%e4%b8%ad%e5%a4%a9%e7%b6%b2%e5%b3%b6-original-japanese-first-release-movie-poster-1969-b2-size-51-73-cm","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}