{"product_id":"ghidorah-the-three-headed-monster-ゴジラ-モスラ-キングギドラ-地球最大の決戦-godzilla-mothra-king-ghidorah-the-greatest-battle-on-earth-1971-japanese-stb-tatekan-poster-toho-champion-festival-re-release-new-print-ultra-rare-stb-size-c-51-145-cm","title":"“Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster” (ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ 地球最大の決戦 \/ Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: The Greatest Battle on Earth), 1971 Japanese STB Tatekan Poster — Toho Champion Festival Re-release \/ New Print, Ultra Rare, STB Size (c. 51 × 145 cm) Q240","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"264\" data-end=\"980\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong data-start=\"275\" data-end=\"308\"\u003eoriginal Japanese STB tatekan\u003c\/strong\u003e poster issued in Japan for the \u003cstrong data-start=\"340\" data-end=\"382\"\u003e1971 Toho Champion Festival re-release\u003c\/strong\u003e of Toho’s landmark kaiju classic \u003cstrong data-start=\"416\" data-end=\"454\"\u003eGhidorah, the Three-Headed Monster\u003c\/strong\u003e. First released in 1964 under the Japanese title \u003cstrong data-start=\"504\" data-end=\"520\"\u003e三大怪獣 地球最大の決戦\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003cem data-start=\"523\" data-end=\"575\"\u003eThree Giant Monsters: The Greatest Battle on Earth\u003c\/em\u003e — this 1971 revival was promoted with the more explicit monster-led title \u003cstrong data-start=\"650\" data-end=\"676\"\u003eゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ 地球最大の決戦\u003c\/strong\u003e, placing Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah directly at the center of the campaign. Produced in the dramatic \u003cstrong data-start=\"787\" data-end=\"801\"\u003eSTB format\u003c\/strong\u003e—two B2 sheets designed to display together as one tall vertical theatre poster—it is an especially scarce country-of-origin Godzilla piece from the \u003cstrong data-start=\"950\" data-end=\"975\"\u003eToho Champion Matsuri\u003c\/strong\u003e era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"982\" data-end=\"1585\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"982\" data-end=\"1017\"\u003eImportant note on authenticity:\u003c\/strong\u003e Champion Festival STB posters are highly vulnerable to loss because they were printed for short theatrical use, displayed in cinemas, and often discarded once the program ended. This example is \u003cstrong data-start=\"1212\" data-end=\"1255\"\u003e100% original Japanese theatrical paper\u003c\/strong\u003e from the 1971 re-release, not a reproduction or later decorative reprint. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1587\" data-end=\"2318\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1587\" data-end=\"1606\"\u003eFilm background\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"1606\" data-end=\"1609\"\u003eOriginally released by Toho in 1964, \u003cstrong data-start=\"1646\" data-end=\"1684\"\u003eGhidorah, the Three-Headed Monster\u003c\/strong\u003e was directed by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1701\" data-end=\"1717\"\u003eIshirō Honda\u003c\/strong\u003e, with special effects by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1743\" data-end=\"1761\"\u003eEiji Tsuburaya\u003c\/strong\u003e, and stands as one of the pivotal entries of the Shōwa Godzilla cycle. It introduced \u003cstrong data-start=\"1847\" data-end=\"1864\"\u003eKing Ghidorah\u003c\/strong\u003e, the golden three-headed space monster who would become one of Godzilla’s defining adversaries, and marked an important turning point in the series: Godzilla begins shifting from destructive menace toward reluctant defender of Earth. The film brings together \u003cstrong data-start=\"2124\" data-end=\"2170\"\u003eGodzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah\u003c\/strong\u003e in a large-scale monster conflict, while the human story combines political intrigue, assassination plots, royal identity, and apocalyptic warning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2320\" data-end=\"2884\"\u003eThis poster belongs to the \u003cstrong data-start=\"2347\" data-end=\"2378\"\u003e1971 Toho Champion Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e re-release, a program designed for younger audiences and presented as a new theatrical event. The poster itself identifies the film as a \u003cstrong data-start=\"2516\" data-end=\"2531\"\u003e“New Print”\u003c\/strong\u003e with the notation \u003cstrong data-start=\"2550\" data-end=\"2569\"\u003e「カラー作品・ニュープリント」\u003c\/strong\u003e, reflecting its revival-screening status. This Champion Festival context gives the piece particular historical importance: it captures the moment when Godzilla was being introduced to a new generation as a heroic, child-facing icon, while still drawing from one of the most celebrated monster battles of the 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2886\" data-end=\"3448\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2886\" data-end=\"2903\"\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"2903\" data-end=\"2906\"\u003eThis STB is a spectacular vertical kaiju composition. The upper section is dominated by \u003cstrong data-start=\"2994\" data-end=\"3011\"\u003eKing Ghidorah\u003c\/strong\u003e, towering against a blazing orange sky, all three heads unleashing gravity beams as \u003cstrong data-start=\"3096\" data-end=\"3105\"\u003eRodan\u003c\/strong\u003e sweeps across the top of the image. Below Ghidorah, \u003cstrong data-start=\"3158\" data-end=\"3170\"\u003eGodzilla\u003c\/strong\u003e rises defiantly, his atomic breath cutting across the composition in a dramatic arc. The poster’s blue vertical tagline announces the cosmic threat with emphatic Champion Festival energy: a super monster from outer space has arrived, and Earth’s giant monsters must fight back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3450\" data-end=\"4138\"\u003eThe lower panel heightens the sense of scale. Godzilla’s massive body fills the left side, military searchlights rake upward through smoke and debris, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"3605\" data-end=\"3623\"\u003eMothra’s larva\u003c\/strong\u003e coils into the foreground, anchoring the film’s alliance of Earth monsters. The central red title \u003cstrong data-start=\"3722\" data-end=\"3735\"\u003e「地球最大の決戦」\u003c\/strong\u003e is rendered in huge, block-like kanji, while the right-side vertical blue panel names \u003cstrong data-start=\"3822\" data-end=\"3842\"\u003e「ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ」\u003c\/strong\u003e in bold yellow characters. At the bottom, the human cast portraits and credits provide a classic Toho adventure counterpoint to the monster spectacle above. The result is a powerful revival-era design: brighter, more direct, and more emphatically monster-focused than many first-release layouts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4140\" data-end=\"4704\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"4140\" data-end=\"4164\"\u003eRarity and condition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"4164\" data-end=\"4167\"\u003eJapanese \u003cstrong data-start=\"4176\" data-end=\"4191\"\u003eSTB tatekan\u003c\/strong\u003e posters were produced for actual cinema display and were far less likely to survive intact than smaller standard formats. Champion Festival STBs are especially difficult to obtain, as these re-release campaigns were shorter, more youth-oriented, and often printed in smaller quantities than original theatrical runs. Complete two-panel examples from this period are therefore genuinely scarce, and this \u003cstrong data-start=\"4595\" data-end=\"4628\"\u003e1971 New Print re-release STB\u003c\/strong\u003e is an ultra-rare piece within the Godzilla and Toho kaiju collecting field.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4706\" data-end=\"5194\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eCondition is \u003cstrong data-start=\"4719\" data-end=\"4764\"\u003eexcellent overall for this fragile format\u003c\/strong\u003e, light handling, and minor age-related toning\/spotting visible on the reverse. Colors remain strong, the monster imagery presents with superb impact, and the full two-panel format retains its dramatic theatrical presence. Please inspect the photos carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale. This is \u003cstrong data-start=\"5118\" data-end=\"5151\"\u003enot a reproduction or reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4706\" data-end=\"5194\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"5153\" data-end=\"5194\" data-is-last-node=\"\"\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56980114637178,"sku":null,"price":2875.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/man-standing-in-front-of-gallery-wall_8.jpg?v=1781593276","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/ghidorah-the-three-headed-monster-%e3%82%b4%e3%82%b8%e3%83%a9-%e3%83%a2%e3%82%b9%e3%83%a9-%e3%82%ad%e3%83%b3%e3%82%b0%e3%82%ae%e3%83%89%e3%83%a9-%e5%9c%b0%e7%90%83%e6%9c%80%e5%a4%a7%e3%81%ae%e6%b1%ba%e6%88%a6-godzilla-mothra-king-ghidorah-the-greatest-battle-on-earth-1971-japanese-stb-tatekan-poster-toho-champion-festival-re-release-new-print-ultra-rare-stb-size-c-51-145-cm","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}