"For A Few Dollars More", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1966, STB Size (51 × 145 cm)
Japanese title: 「夕陽のガンマン」(Yūhi no Ganman — “Gunman of the Setting Sun”)
Size: STB / 20 × 57 in (51 × 145 cm)
Country / Studio: Japan / United Artists
Why this is a holy grail
Printed in 1966 (Shōwa 41) for the first Japanese theatrical release of Sergio Leone’s For A Few Dollars More, this towering STB tatekan is arguably one of the most iconic Japanese Spaghetti Western posters ever made. First-release Japanese paper for this title is rare in any format, but the STB is on an entirely different level: a street-display format with an exceptionally low survival rate, especially for Spaghetti Westerns. This is the first example we have ever encountered outside of a book, which says everything about its rarity. We do not believe this has sold in any of the large Western auction houses before. For collectors of Leone, Eastwood, or Japanese western paper, this is a genuine holy grail poster.
Design highlights
This is a superb example of Japanese poster design at its most dramatic and economical. A towering, back-facing gunman dominates the composition, his dark poncho cutting across a blazing sunset sky, while the duel itself plays out far below in miniature, surrounded by dust and gun smoke. The effect is theatrical, monumental, and instantly memorable. The jagged purple title lettering tears across the upper field with enormous force, while the vivid red Japanese copy intensifies the sense of danger and spectacle. Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef receive prominent billing at upper left, with Sergio Leone clearly credited as director and Ennio Morricone for the music. It is an exceptionally bold design, created to arrest attention from a distance—exactly what an STB was meant to do.
Cultural impact
Leone’s second Dollars film helped define the mythology of the Spaghetti Western and further established Clint Eastwood’s “Man with No Name” persona on the international stage. In Japan, where western antiheroes resonated strongly with audiences already attuned to lone-wolf samurai archetypes, posters like this became some of the most powerful and stylish foreign film advertising of the 1960s. Among all Japanese paper for the Dollars Trilogy, this STB stands out as one of the most visually iconic and elusive formats of the entire cycle.
Condition
Excellent, and remarkably well-preserved for an original STB tatekan intended for theatrical display. No hard fold lines; the poster shows only light, soft Japanese-style three-fold storage impressions / handling bends. It was clearly displayed, with tiny pinholes at the borders/corners, a small puncture in the upper-right orange background, minor edge wear, light surface creasing, and gentle age toning to the reverse. There is also a small pencil notation on the back. Overall, it presents exceptionally well, with rich, unfaded colour and outstanding visual impact. Please review the photos carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.
Authentication
Guaranteed original; Certificate of Authenticity included.
About STB (Tatekan) posters
STBs are tall, two-sheet vertical posters (approximately 51 × 145 cm) printed on thin stock and designed for outdoor display on purpose-built wooden stands outside cinemas and along busy approaches. They effectively functioned as mini billboards, and because they were exposed to weather and regularly replaced, very few survived. Original examples are ultra-rare, particularly for 1960s Spaghetti Westerns, which makes the survival of a first-release piece like this especially significant.
