“Harakiri (切腹 / Seppuku)” – Original Japanese Premiere Billboard Poster, 1962 Extremely Rare, Massive B0 x 2 Format (approx. 220 × 158 cm) – Museum‑Grade Example

A breathtaking, ultra‑rare original Japanese premiere billboard for Masaki Kobayashi’s 1962 masterpiece Harakiri (切腹) – one of the greatest achievements in world cinema and a cornerstone of Japanese film history.

Printed by Shochiku for the film’s initial 1962 release, this is a first‑issue, head‑office B0 poster configuration, comprising two oversize B0 sheets (each c. 109 × 158 cm) that combine to an imposing display of roughly 220 cm in height by 158 cm in width. Designed to dominate the façade of a cinema at or around the film’s premiere, this format was produced in vanishingly small numbers and almost all were discarded after use.

What makes this example extraordinary is that it appears to have never been used theatrically:
folded as issued and then stored with great care for more than six decades, leaving the colours rich and the paper crisp – an astonishing survival.

Poster Details

• Title: Harakiri (切腹 / Seppuku)

• Country / Year: Japan, 1962

• Format: Original Japanese B0 x 2 premiere billboard (two separate B0 sheets)

• Dimensions: Each sheet approx. 109 × 158 cm; overall display size approx. 220 × 158 cm

• Studio / Distributor: Shochiku (松竹映画)

Description

The design is spectacular in scale and impact: a towering painted close‑up of the protagonist’s face dominates the top sheet, his expression charged with tension and moral rage, while the lower section explodes into dynamic swordplay and portraits of the principal cast, framed by bold scarlet calligraphy of the film’s title 切腹 (seppuku). The composition perfectly reflects Kobayashi’s radical, modern approach to the jidaigeki form – both intimate character study and searing social critique.

In the flesh, the poster has immense presence; it is conceived as a true billboard, intended to be visible from the street and to overwhelm the viewer, making it ideal for a dramatic installation in a home cinema, studio, office, gallery, museum, gym, or blue‑chip private collection.

Rarity

Japanese premiere billboards in B0 configurations are among the rarest of all Japanese poster formats. Produced in very limited numbers for opening engagements, they were typically pasted up outdoors, exposed to the elements, and destroyed after use. Collectors in Japan historically favoured much smaller paper (B5 chirashi, B2, etc.), meaning that material of this size was almost never preserved.

For Harakiri, survival is especially improbable:

• Even standard B2 posters were routinely discarded after the campaign.

• STB`s and B1s for this title are almost never seen.

• A B0 x 2 premiere billboard is, in practical collecting terms, a holy grail.

To our knowledge, no other example of this billboard has ever been offered for sale outside Japan, and seasoned Japanese dealers and collectors with 40–50 years in the field report never having seen or handled another copy. We consider this a unique opportunity to acquire a format that may not reappear on the market.

Condition

Condition: Near Excellent to Excellent, unused, folded as issued.

• Fold lines as originally shipped by the studio.

• Only the most minor signs of age and handling consistent with careful long‑term storage.

• No major tears, major paper losses, zero restoration noted; colours remain strong and unfaded. 
  

Given the size, age (over 63 years), and typical fate of such billboards, the state of preservation is remarkable and squarely in museum‑grade territory.

Cinematic Significance

Directed by Masaki Kobayashi, Harakiri is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Set in the early Edo period, it uses the story of a rōnin seeking permission to commit ritual suicide at a clan estate to deliver a devastating critique of institutional hypocrisy and the myth of samurai honour. The film’s inventive structure, stark cinematography, and philosophical depth have secured its place at the pinnacle of Japanese – and global – cinema.

This billboard is not merely a piece of advertising; it is a monumental artefact of film history, capturing the original Japanese reception of a work now enshrined in the cinematic canon.

Additional Information

• Authenticity: Guaranteed original, first‑release Shochiku issue; not a reproduction or reprint.

• Documentation: Certificate of Authenticity included.

• Inventory Code: O533

An unrepeatable opportunity to secure what is, by every measure, an ultra‑rare, museum‑worthy survivor – a true centrepiece for any serious collection of Japanese cinema, poster art, or mid‑century graphic design.