“Floating Weeds” (浮草, Ukigusa), Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1959, Yasujirō Ozu, Ultra Rare, Speed Size (c. 26 × 73 cm) T282

An exceptional original 1959 Japanese first-release Speed poster for Floating Weeds, one of Yasujirō Ozu’s most beautiful colour films. Produced by Daiei, the film brings together Ganjirō Nakamura, Machiko Kyō, Ayako Wakao, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, and Haruko Sugimura in a poignant story of travelling performers, family secrets, jealousy, and reconciliation.

The elegant, narrow composition combines large photographic portraits, a seaside setting, and sweeping green title calligraphy. Its pale blue background, warm skin tones, patterned costumes, and red accents create a particularly attractive expression of the film’s rich visual world.

This example also retains its extensively printed reverse, identified as Daiei Press Sheet No. 868. Combining a colour display poster with illustrated studio publicity material, it offers considerable interest as both a work of theatrical advertising and a document of the film’s original release.

Date & Japanese Theatrical Release

Floating Weeds opened in Japan on 17 November 1959, produced and distributed by Daiei.

This is an original first-release Japanese poster, issued for that theatrical campaign. The front carries the Daiei emblem, the studio’s colour announcement, and the original cast and production credits. The reverse preserves the corresponding press material issued by Daiei’s head-office publicity department.

Measuring approximately 26 × 73 cm, the Speed format offers a distinctive vertical presentation—roughly half the width of a standard Japanese B2 poster at a similar height.

The Film & Its Place in Ozu’s Cinema

Written by Yasujirō Ozu and Kōgo Noda, Floating Weeds revisits Ozu’s own 1934 silent film, A Story of Floating Weeds, a quarter-century later. The new version places the story in a small seaside town and brings sound, colour, and a different ensemble of performers to its enduring themes.

Ganjirō Nakamura plays Komajūrō, the leader of a travelling theatre troupe. Returning to a town where he once had a relationship with Oyoshi, played by Haruko Sugimura, he renews contact with their son Kiyoshi, played by Hiroshi Kawaguchi. The young man has grown up believing that Komajūrō is his uncle.

When Komajūrō’s current companion Sumiko, played by Machiko Kyō, discovers his secret, jealousy leads her to enlist the young actress Kayo, played by Ayako Wakao, in a plan to seduce Kiyoshi. The resulting relationships expose the contradictions between parental affection, possessiveness, pride, and the wish to give the next generation a different life.

The cast also includes Hitomi Nozoe, Chishū Ryū, and Kōji Mitsui, bringing together prominent Daiei performers with actors familiar from Ozu’s wider body of work.

The title evokes the drifting existence of the travelling players: people carried from place to place, whose attempts to establish lasting attachments remain vulnerable to circumstance. Ozu gives this uncertain world both humour and emotional weight, allowing everyday gestures and conversations to reveal feelings that the characters struggle to express.

Ozu, Kazuo Miyagawa & the Film’s Legacy

Floating Weeds occupies a distinctive place in Ozu’s career. Made at Daiei, away from his regular studio Shōchiku, it was his only collaboration with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa, whose work also includes Rashomon and Ugetsu.

Their partnership produced a film of remarkable visual richness. Carefully arranged interiors, vivid costume details, coastal light, and the famous confrontation across a rain-soaked street give colour an expressive role within Ozu’s precise compositions.

One of the director’s six colour features, Floating Weeds is admired as a major achievement of his late career. Its beauty serves an intimate human drama: the luminous setting and theatrical costumes accompany a story of disappointment, affection, and the compromises through which people continue their lives.

For collectors, original release material provides a direct connection to this exceptional meeting of Ozu’s direction, Miyagawa’s cinematography, and Daiei’s celebrated performers.

Design Notes

Sweeping green title calligraphy: The two characters 浮草 dominate the upper-right section in deep green with a pale outline. Their expressive brush forms give the composition movement while preserving a restrained, distinctly Japanese elegance.

Hiroshi Kawaguchi and Ayako Wakao: The large portraits of the younger leads occupy the upper and central portions of the sheet. Their arrangement introduces the romantic relationship that becomes central to the film’s family conflict.

Machiko Kyō’s straw-hat portrait: Kyō fills the lower-right section beneath a broad woven hat. Her red lips, pale costume, and expressive gaze provide one of the poster’s most memorable images.

The wider ensemble: Smaller full-length images of Ganjirō Nakamura and Hitomi Nozoe appear at lower left, adding variety of scale and broadening the cast presentation.

A coastal setting: The weathered boat, blue sky, and stretch of water establish the seaside atmosphere. These elements give the portraits a sense of place while leaving room for the title and promotional lettering.

Colour and costume: The rich green title, restrained red printing, blue background, and delicately patterned clothing create a harmonious palette. The design captures something of the film’s visual appeal without overwhelming its human subjects.

Daiei Colour & the Original Japanese Release Pitch

The red announcement at upper left reads:

「大映カラー　総天然色」
“Daiei Colour — Full Colour.”

This places colour prominently within the campaign, an especially meaningful feature for a film celebrated for its cinematography.

The vertical copy along the left begins:

「名匠小津安二郎が愛と微笑の心でうたいあげた人生の真実！」
“Master director Yasujirō Ozu expresses the truth of life with love and a smile!”

The wording promotes Ozu’s reputation and the film’s emotional warmth. The accompanying text promises a substantial drama filled with poignancy and feeling.

The front also carries:

「芸術祭参加作品」
“An Arts Festival entry.”

Together with the studio emblem and credits, these details preserve the original campaign’s emphasis on artistic distinction, human drama, and colour photography.

The Printed Reverse — Daiei Press Sheet No. 868

The reverse is an especially appealing feature of this example. Printed in black and white, it contains cast and crew listings, story and production information, promotional copy, illustrated portraits, and multiple title treatments.

The publisher’s line reads:

“DAIEI PRESS SHEET No. 868”

「大映本社宣伝部発行」
“Issued by Daiei’s head-office publicity department.”

A photographic panel shows the younger characters beside a boat, while the surrounding illustrations and lettering provide material suited to local publicity. The range of title sizes, portraits, and studio emblems demonstrates how the film’s visual identity could be adapted for different advertisements.

This printed reverse gives the piece an additional historical dimension: it preserves the practical material used to introduce and promote Floating Weeds to its original audience.

About Speed Posters & Collector Significance

Japanese Speed posters are narrow vertical sheets, well suited to display where wall space was limited. This example’s approximately 26 × 73 cm proportions give the cast portraits and calligraphic title a particularly graceful arrangement.

Here, the format serves a dual purpose: colour theatrical artwork on the front and a detailed press sheet on the reverse. Both sides form part of the original publicity object.

First-release paper for Ozu’s major films is highly desirable, and this ultra-rare Speed-format example brings together distinctive artwork, original Daiei branding, and a substantial body of contemporary promotional material.

Condition Report

Excellent.

The poster presents beautifully for its age, with strong colour, clear photographic detail, and an attractive overall appearance.

Folds and handling: Original horizontal fold lines remain visible, with light associated wear, some creasing, and small areas of surface rubbing along the folds.

Edges and paper: There is minor edge and corner wear, together with gentle age toning to the paper.

Colour and display: The green title, blue background, red accents, and warm portrait colours retain considerable visual appeal. The principal faces and calligraphy remain especially effective within the narrow composition.

Printed reverse: The press-sheet material remains clearly visible, with fold impressions, age toning, and light handling marks consistent with the front.

Please review both supplied photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster and its original printed reverse.

This is an original Japanese first-release Speed poster and Daiei press sheet from 1959.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is over 65 years old.
A Certificate of Authenticity is included.