“Gamera vs. Jiger” (ガメラ対大魔獣ジャイガー), Original First-Release Japanese Movie Poster 1970, Very Rare, STB / Tatekan Size (c. 51 × 145 cm) M147

“Gamera vs. Jiger”, Original First-Release Japanese STB / Tatekan Poster, 1970
Japanese title: 「ガメラ対大魔獣ジャイガー」 (Gamera tai Daimajū Jaigā)
Size: STB / Tatekan — approximately 20 × 57 inches (51 × 145 cm)
Country / studio: Japan / Daiei
Director: Noriaki Yuasa
Screenplay: Niisan Takahashi
Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
First Japanese theatrical release: 21 March 1970
Format: Complete in two original, separate sheets, unbacked, with the overlap margin retained
Condition: Excellent+ / approaching Near Mint; unused example

An exceptional large-format survivor

An original first-release Japanese STB / tatekan for Gamera vs. Jiger, the sixth film in Daiei’s original Gamera series, preserved in Excellent+ condition, approaching Near Mint in overall presentation.

Almost five feet tall, this spectacular composition combines enormous monster imagery, the futuristic setting of Osaka’s Expo ’70, dramatically coloured Japanese lettering and three captioned action vignettes. The result is an exceptionally effective piece of Japanese monster-movie advertising: expansive, energetic and designed to make an immediate impression outside a cinema.

Its appeal is strengthened considerably by its preservation. This is an unused example retaining both original sheets separately, rather than a theatre-worn display subsequently removed from a board. For collectors of classic kaiju cinema, the combination of first-release Japanese paper, the scarce STB format, a distinctive Expo ’70 connection and outstanding display condition makes this a particularly compelling survivor.

The film

Released in Japan on 21 March 1970, Gamera vs. Jiger brings together several defining elements of the original series: an extraordinary new adversary, inventive special-effects action, a contemporary Japanese setting and children whose courage becomes essential to Gamera’s survival.

The story begins with the removal of an ancient stone monument known as the “Devil’s Whistle” from Wester Island for exhibition at the Osaka World Expo. Disturbing the monument awakens Jiger, a powerful, horned monster that subsequently reaches Japan. Gamera attempts to intervene, but the confrontation leaves him incapacitated, with Jiger’s parasitic offspring inside his body.

The film then takes one of its most memorable turns: two boys undertake a rescue mission inside Gamera in a small submarine. Rather than merely watching the adults or waiting for their monster protector to recover, the children become active participants in saving him. This reversal—the children rescuing the creature that protects them—gives the adventure its particular character.

Director Noriaki Yuasa and screenwriter Niisan Takahashi had been central to Gamera’s development since the original 1965 film. Here, their mixture of imaginative danger, children’s adventure and elaborate monster combat is especially evident. The picture moves from ancient mystery to urban spectacle and then into the extraordinary territory of a journey inside a giant creature, all within its 83-minute running time.

Gamera and the history of kaiju cinema

The modern Japanese giant-monster film took its defining form with Godzilla in 1954. Directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, that film transformed the destruction of a city into an expression of nuclear anxiety and established a powerful new direction for post-war Japanese cinema.

During the following decade, the genre expanded into increasingly varied forms of spectacle. Creature performances, miniature environments, optical effects and imaginative physical staging became part of a distinctive filmmaking tradition, allowing impossible events to unfold against recognisable Japanese landscapes.

Gamera entered this world in 1965, when Daiei released Gamera, the Giant Monster. The enormous turtle—with its tusks, armoured shell, fire-breathing abilities and extraordinary flight—offered a immediately distinctive alternative to other screen monsters. Although initially destructive, Gamera increasingly developed an identity as a protector of children and a defender against other creatures.

By Gamera vs. Jiger, this relationship with younger audiences had become fundamental to the series. Its world combines genuine peril with an underlying belief in friendship, ingenuity and the importance of listening to children. The monsters could be frightening and their battles surprisingly fierce, but the emotional allegiance was clear: Gamera was the creature audiences wanted to see survive.

This poster captures that particular phase of Japanese popular cinema beautifully. The monsters dominate the composition, while the children and adult cast appear below, connecting the immense spectacle to the human adventure.

The Expo ’70 connection

The Osaka World Expo of 1970 is central to the film’s identity, not simply a decorative background. The removal of an object for exhibition sets the story in motion, and the threat to the exposition gives the monster conflict a distinctly contemporary setting.

That connection is made emphatic in the poster. Beneath the towering creatures, a panoramic view of the Expo grounds, exhibition structures, striking pavilion roofs and elevated railway fills much of the lower sheet. The setting supplies an unusually specific sense of place: this is not an anonymous cityscape but a recognisable image of Japan’s great international exposition.

The red promotional text at upper right announces:

「万国博に大魔獣ジャイガーが暴れ込む！」
“The giant demon beast Jiger rampages into the World Expo!”

The accompanying appeal, **「たのむぞガメラ！」—“We’re counting on you, Gamera!”—**speaks directly to the audience’s allegiance.

For collectors, this gives the poster an additional dimension. It belongs simultaneously to the history of Japanese monster cinema, Daiei’s theatrical publicity and the popular imagery surrounding Expo ’70. The contrast between ancient creatures and futuristic architecture is one of the design’s most effective features.

Poster design

The composition makes exceptional use of the STB’s long vertical proportions.

An immense Gamera rises across the upper sheet, its dark shell and outstretched limbs set against a pale blue-grey sky. Below, the orange-brown, horned Jiger twists through the centre of the image. Long streaks of movement connect the figures to the ground beneath them, intensifying the sense of height and violent motion.

The small aircraft are particularly effective. Jets at upper left and a helicopter beside the monsters provide immediate scale, making the creatures appear enormous before the eye reaches the buildings below. The contrast between Gamera’s dark, heavily textured body and Jiger’s warmer colouring also keeps the two silhouettes distinct within a densely composed scene.

The Japanese title is treated with equal force. 「ガメラ」 appears in red, 「対」 in blue and 「ジャイガー」 in deep green, all boldly outlined against the background. The separate yellow-on-black 「大魔獣」 element adds another emphatic accent. Rather than sitting beneath the artwork as conventional billing, the lettering descends through the left side and helps unite the two sheets.

Across the lower section, the exposition grounds create a richly detailed setting beneath the monsters. Their architectural forms provide a striking counterpoint to the rough creature textures, while the railway and small human figures reinforce the scale of the confrontation.

At lower right, three captioned action images turn the poster into a compact preview of the film’s attractions. The upper vignette shows the stricken Gamera and the small yellow rescue submarine, promoting the boys’ journey into his body. The next presents an aerial spinning attack, while the final image shows a steel framework being used against Jiger’s jaws.

These are narrative scenes, rather than a diagram of Jiger’s anatomy. Their captions emphasise the creatures’ attacks, Gamera’s predicament and the ingenuity required to overcome his opponent—an approach perfectly suited to the film’s adventurous spirit.

The cast montage, Daiei studio emblem, production credits and Daiei Records promotion complete the design. Its visual strength comes from the combination of photographic montage, dramatic movement effects, bold colour and oversized typography, rather than any need for a restrained or minimalist approach. At full STB scale, the abundance of imagery becomes part of its appeal.

The rarity of the STB / tatekan format

Japanese STB / tatekan posters were made for tall standing displays associated with cinemas, including entrance areas, ticket booths and exterior signboards. The completed format typically measures approximately 51 × 145 cm, formed from two B2-sized sheets arranged vertically with an overlap.

These were practical theatrical advertisements, not prints intended for collectors. Their specialised display role meant they were produced in smaller quantities than regular B2 posters, while mounting, handling, exposure and disposal all worked against their long-term preservation.

The two-sheet construction introduced another vulnerability: both sections had to survive together. A missing upper or lower panel leaves an incomplete composition, and removal from a pasted display can result in tears, thinning or losses.

This example is particularly appealing because it retains both original sheets separately, with the white overlap margin on the lower sheet still present. The full design can be appreciated without concealing its original construction beneath a backing.

For collectors of Gamera and classic Japanese monster cinema, a complete first-release STB offers a substantially more unusual display format than a conventional B2. An unused example approaching Near Mint in presentation is more exceptional still.

Condition

Excellent+ / close to Near Mint in overall presentation. An unused, unbacked example preserved in its two original, separate sheets.

The printed fronts retain strong colour and excellent visual clarity. The red and green title lettering, yellow accents, blue-grey sky and warm colouring of Jiger remain particularly attractive, while the creature imagery and detailed Expo panorama retain impressive definition.

The white overlap margin is an original part of the two-sheet format, intended to sit beneath the upper section when assembled. Its presence is not an area of missing artwork. The supplied photographs show the complete composition as well as the individual sheets and their reverses.

Most importantly, the features that give this design its impact—the enormous monsters, multicoloured Japanese title, Expo ’70 setting and captioned action vignettes—remain beautifully preserved.

Please review the photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster offered for sale. Once framed as a complete STB, it will make an outstanding centrepiece.

Authentication

Guaranteed original Japanese first-release theatrical poster for Gamera vs. Jiger, 1970.

Complete in two original STB / tatekan sheets, retaining the period Daiei branding, Japanese production and cast credits, Expo-related campaign copy and original overlap margin.

Not a reproduction, modern reprint or later commemorative poster.

A remarkably well-preserved piece of original Shōwa-era kaiju cinema: a spectacular Japanese first-release composition, an evocative record of Expo ’70 and a rare opportunity to acquire this imposing format in unused, Excellent+ condition.