This is an original Japanese poster from the first release of Early Summer in 1951.
This STB tatekan poster is from 1951 and is incredibly rare even in Japan.
This almost 5′ tall STB poster features beautiful period artwork/photography of the principal cast in Shochiku’s classic house style. The tatekan STB format had much lower print numbers compared to regular Japanese B2s. They are very rare, especially for Ozu titles, and are highly sought after by collectors today.
This poster was held in one of the largest private collections of movie posters in Tokyo for over 25 years before we acquired this collection. We cannot find any record of this poster selling at major auctions in either the West or Japan. It is extremely rare.
Yasujiro Ozu is one of Japan’s most celebrated directors, with 44 films over a long career. Early Summer (麦秋, 1951) is the middle entry in Ozu’s celebrated “Noriko trilogy,” starring Setsuko Hara, and delicately explores family expectations, postwar change, and a young woman’s choice of marriage with Ozu’s signature restraint and humanity.
This poster is in excellent condition, with only minor age-consistent handling (please see additional imagery, both front and back) as this is the exact poster for sale.
It is over 74 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
