“High and Low (天国と地獄)” — Original Japanese Movie Poster 1968, First Re-Release — Extremely Rare KING SIZE Billboard (120 × 180 cm) — Kochi Prefecture Find

“High and Low (天国と地獄)” — Original Japanese Movie Poster 1968, First Re-Release — Extremely Rare KING SIZE Billboard (approx. 120 × 180 cm) — Kochi Prefecture Find

This is an original, ultra-rare Japanese King Size billboard poster printed in 1968 for the first re-release of Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece High and Low (Tengoku to Jigoku).

Why this example is extraordinary

• Monumental format: A true King Size billboard sheet (approx. 120 × 180 cm), produced for outdoor display in very small numbers—survivors are exceptionally scarce.

• Provenance: Discovered in Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island, far from the major distribution hubs; a remarkable regional survivor from the 1960s.

• Rarity: In decades of sourcing we’ve only encountered a King Size sheet for a much later re-release—this is the first time we have ever seen a 1968 King Size for High and Low.

• Historic significance: Re-issued just five years after the 1963 premiere, underscoring the film’s immediate impact and enduring reputation.

Film background

Directed by Akira Kurosawa, High and Low is widely acclaimed as one of cinema’s greatest achievements. Toshiro Mifune stars as executive Kingo Gondo, whose world spirals after a kidnapping and ransom demand. Adapted from Ed McBain’s King’s Ransom, the film is both a taut police procedural and a searing social critique—contrasting the “high” of Gondo’s hilltop home with the “low” of Yokohama’s underworld. While Kurosawa is famed for his samurai epics, this modern thriller proves his mastery of contemporary, morally complex storytelling.

Poster design

As commanding as its size: Mifune’s tense, anguished expression anchors a montage of crime, fear and pursuit. The bold yellow brush-stroke title 「天国と地獄」 slashes across dark, gritty imagery—an arresting composition created to stop passers-by in their tracks on cinema exteriors.

Condition

Excellent condition for its age and scale. Colours are bold and unfaded, with light handling/folds consistent with long-term storage and billboard use. Please review the listing photos (front and back); they show the exact poster offered.

It is over 57 years old.
Not a reproduction or reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.