Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (三大怪獣 地球最大の決戦)
Toho Champion Festival re-release, Japan, 1971
Ultra-rare uncut advance-ticket printer’s proof sheet (印刷見本 / 8-up)
An exceptionally scarce survivor from Toho’s children’s holiday programme, the Toho Champion Festival (東宝チャンピオンまつり): an original, uncut “8-up” production sheet, printed as a pre-cut proof/sample and preserved exactly as it left the press—before trimming into individual pieces. Examples in this format are seldom encountered; they were utilitarian by nature and typically discarded once the cutting stage was complete.
What this is
This is best understood not as a standard one-sheet poster, but as an uncut printer’s proof / print sample (印刷見本) for an advance ticket sheet (前売券)—eight identical impressions on a single large sheet, intended to be guillotined into separate units. A closely matching Japanese listing describing this exact format notes it as a “裁断前の印刷見本…8枚綴り1シート(48×64cm)” (a pre-cut print sample, 8 pieces on one sheet, approx. 48 × 64 cm).
Issued for Toho’s 1971 Champion Festival programme, the revival utilised a shortened / re-edited version of the original 1964 feature—an aspect signposted on the design itself by the small circular “短縮” (abridged) stamp.
Film background
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Directed by Ishirō Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, Toho’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is widely recognised as the fifth film in the Godzilla franchise—and the picture that firmly establishes the “monster-alliance” template, bringing together Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah in a single escalating conflict.
1971 Toho Champion Festival re-release
For the 1971 winter Champion Festival, Toho re-released the film in edited form and retitled it for the programme—commonly referenced as “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: The Greatest Battle on Earth” (ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ 地球最大の決戦).
Design
The artwork is pure Showa-era spectacle, distilled into a dramatic, high-contrast vignette:
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A vivid burnt-orange sky forms the stage for Godzilla’s looming, dark-green mass, his jaws open as a searing beam of atomic breath slices diagonally into the composition.
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Below, the golden, winged terror of King Ghidorah dominates the lower half—three heads twisting outward in panic and fury—while Rodan appears in flight, enhancing the sense of aerial chaos.
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Bold vertical typography announces the title in Japanese, with the design reflecting the reissue branding: the distinctive Toho Champion Festival seal (東宝チャンピオンまつり) appears as a bright circular emblem, instantly anchoring the piece in the festival’s holiday-cinema identity.
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Presented as an intact press sheet, the design becomes something rarer still: a repeated grid of eight identical units, with original crop/trim marks visible—an authentic trace of the production process and a compelling feature for collectors who appreciate print ephemera in its “pre-finished” state.
Condition
Excellent overall condition, with the sheet retaining strong colour saturation and crisp definition across all eight impressions—particularly impressive for an item produced for practical use rather than long-term preservation. The reverse presents as largely blank, with only the expected subtle age/handling toning visible in the accompanying photographs.
(Please refer to the front-and-back images provided of the exact item offered.)
Dimensions
Sheet size: 48 × 63.5 cm (approx.).
Rarity and collecting significance
Uncut materials of this type—printer’s proofs / print samples (印刷見本) for advance ticket sheets—were never intended to circulate as collectibles. Their survival rate is consequently low, and their appeal lies in precisely what makes them unusual: they show the production format that was meant to be cut and separated.
As a display object, the intact “8-up” layout reads almost like a graphic-art edition: a striking, ultra-rare presentation piece and a distinctive addition to any serious kaiju / Godzilla collection.
Authenticity
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Period-original, produced for the 1971 Toho Champion Festival reissue campaign.
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Not a reproduction or modern reprint.
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Certificate of Authenticity included.
