“Hiken” (秘剣 / ひけん,“Young Samurai”), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1963, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) ZA886

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1963 for the first release of Hiken (秘剣 / ひけん)—a striking, later-career jidaigeki from director Hiroshi Inagaki (稲垣 浩), famed internationally for his Samurai Trilogy chronicling Miyamoto Musashi. In Hiken, Inagaki returns to the sword-film with a darker, more psychological edge—where technique, ego, and “the spirit inside the blade” become the true battleground.

Film background
Made during the post-war period when Japanese cinema leaned heavily into period drama, jidaigeki became the arena in which filmmakers could explore violence, morality, and national myth through historical settings. Hiken sits in that lineage: a sword-story that is less about heroics than the dangerous allure of mastery—where a “secret technique” can feel like a curse as much as a gift. Inagaki’s direction brings a disciplined elegance to the material, combining classical staging with bursts of kinetic action.

Poster design
A masterpiece of graphic restraint and motion: bold brush-calligraphy 秘剣 dominates the left like an ink strike, balanced by a dynamic duel photograph on the right—blades colliding mid-swing with bodies frozen in a split-second of impact. The vertical red credit line 稲垣浩監督作品 (“A film by director Hiroshi Inagaki”) is integrated like an official seal, while the lower strip of cast portraits adds rich period colour and classic Toho-era campaign styling. The musical-staff border motif running along the top and bottom gives the sheet an additional design twist—unusual, stylish, and distinctly early-’60s.

Condition
Excellent. Please review the photos (front and back)—they show the exact poster for sale.

It is over 62 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.