"EQUINOX FLOWER" (彼岸花), Original Shochiku Movie Photo News press sheet / lobby display poster 1958, Yasujirō Ozu, Ultra Rare, B2 Size (c. 36 x 51 cm) (G)

EQUINOX FLOWER / 彼岸花
Japan (Shochiku), 1958
Original Shochiku Movie Photo News press sheet / lobby display poster (B3)
Black‑and‑white photo-collage with teal spot-colour printing on paper, cinema-used

A spectacular piece of Shochiku publicity ephemera: the 松竹映画写真ニュース (Shochiku Movie Photo News / 写真ニュース) issued for Yasujirō Ozu’s Higanbana (Equinox Flower), printed in 1958 (Showa 33). Far rarer than standard theatrical posters, these photo-news sheets were part of a cinema’s working promotional toolkit—designed for lobby display and local publicity reference, then almost always discarded once the engagement ended.

This example is especially striking: a large, information-rich collage with the film’s title 彼岸花 in bold teal brush lettering, surrounded by black-and-white stills, a full cast lineup image, and dense credit/cast typography—an authentic “as-used” survivor from the film’s original release campaign.

“A true working artefact of Shochiku-era exhibition—scarcer than posters, and a superb visual record of the original 1958 campaign for Ozu’s first colour feature.”

Key Facts

Film: Higanbana (Equinox Flower / 彼岸花)

Director (as billed): Yasujirō Ozu（小津安二郎）

Screenplay (as printed): Kōgo Noda（野田高梧）and Yasujirō Ozu（小津安二郎）

Original work (as printed): Ton Satomi（里見弴）(publication note printed beneath)

Studio: Shochiku（松竹）

Year: 1958 (confirmed on sheet: 昭和三十三年度)

Item type: 松竹映画写真ニュース / SHOCHIKU MOVIE PHOTO NEWS (写真ニュース) — press/lobby display publicity sheet

Format: B3 — approx. 36.4 × 51.5 cm (14.3 × 20.3 in) (as offered)

Printing: Black-and-white stills with teal spot-colour title/graphic accents; Japanese text throughout

Reverse: Blank (with fold structure and visible show-through under light; see photos)

What Is “Shochiku Movie Photo News”?

Shochiku’s 写真ニュース (Photo News) sheets were exhibitor-facing promotional materials—part press-reference, part lobby-display—designed to visually summarize a new release with key stills, credits, cast, and marketing copy in a single large-format sheet. Unlike standard posters, these were not primarily decorative; they were practical cinema ephemera, often pinned up, handled, replaced, and discarded quickly. As a result, original 1950s Photo News survivors—especially for major directors like Ozu—are exceptionally scarce today.

Rarity and Market Context

Rarer than posters—by a wide margin
Even original Japanese B2 posters were routinely thrown away, but Photo News sheets are an even more fragile category: produced in smaller quantities, used hard, and seldom saved. For a canonical title like Higanbana, surviving examples are seldom encountered in collectible condition.

Why collectors chase these
For high-end Japanese cinema paper collections, a Photo News sheet functions like an archival snapshot of the original campaign—often showing imagery and layouts not found on standard posters. This sheet is effectively a 1958 Shochiku “time capsule”: the film’s selling points, cast emphasis, and still selections preserved exactly as presented to exhibitors.

Design and On-Sheet Content

This B3 is a dense, beautifully structured publicity collage, anchored by:

• Large teal calligraphic title: 彼岸花 (with furigana), dominating the center field

• Colour-era billing (as printed): アグファカラー / 総天然色 (“Agfacolor / Full natural colour”)

• Arts Festival note (as printed): 昭和三十三年度 芸術祭参加作品 (“1958 Arts Festival participation work”)

• Full cast lineup photograph across the middle, presented as a formal ensemble tableau

• Multiple black-and-white film stills arranged around the title and credits (domestic interiors, family tension, and key dramatic moments—visually echoing Ozu’s controlled, observational style)

• Shochiku Movie Photo News branding block at lower left: SHOCHIKU MOVIE / PHOTO NEWS / 写真ニュース, with the Shochiku emblem

Text and Translation Notes

Below are key on-sheet texts and their English meanings as printed:

Top headline:
日本映画、最高の豪華配役!! 名匠 小津安二郎監督 が贈る香り高き待望の名作！
“Japanese cinema’s most luxurious cast!! A richly ‘fragrant,’ long-awaited masterpiece presented by master director Yasujirō Ozu!”

Central promotional line:
平和な家庭に波紋を投げた娘の結婚問題！親と子の愛の交錯がよぶ感動！
“A daughter’s marriage problem sends ripples through a peaceful family—moving emotion born from the crossing currents of parent and child love!”

Condition

Good vintage condition for a working 1958 cinema publicity sheet, with strong overall eye appeal and clean, legible printing. This is a cinema-used paper item and shows the expected signs of real-world handling:

• Original fold lines/creases (typical of how these were issued and stored)

• Mounting evidence: visible small pinholes/mounting holes along margins (from display)

• Two punched filing holes along the left margin (consistent with in-theatre/office filing practices)

• Minor edge wear and light handling traces consistent with age

• Reverse is blank, showing fold structure and faint show-through under light

Please review the provided photos — they show the exact item offered.

Certificate of Authenticity included.