This is an original Japanese STB tatekan poster issued in Japan for Daiei’s 1966 film Irezumi — also known internationally as The Spider Tattoo — directed by Yasuzō Masumura and based on the story by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki. Produced in the dramatic STB format—two B2 sheets designed to display together as one tall vertical theatre poster—it is a striking country-of-origin Japanese cinema piece, built around one of the most unforgettable poster images of the period: a woman turning over her shoulder to reveal the large, sinister spider tattoo across her back.
Important note on authenticity: original Japanese STB posters were created for theatrical display and are far scarcer than standard poster formats. This example is 100% original first-release Japanese theatrical paper, not a reproduction or later decorative reprint. It is pre-joined, as many theatre-used STB posters were, with the upper and lower B2 sheets pasted together to create the full standing lobby display.
Film background
Released by Daiei in 1966, Irezumi was directed by Yasuzō Masumura, one of postwar Japanese cinema’s most forceful and psychologically acute filmmakers. The film adapts Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s celebrated story of obsession, bodily transformation, erotic power, and revenge. Its screenplay is by Kaneto Shindō, with cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa, whose visual elegance gives the film much of its lasting period atmosphere. The cast includes Ayako Wakao, Akio Hasegawa, Gaku Yamamoto, and Kei Satō, with Wakao’s central role as Otsuya standing among the most iconic performances associated with Masumura’s cinema.
The story follows a young woman whose life is violently redirected after she is abducted and tattooed with a demonic spider. Rather than functioning merely as an image of victimhood, the tattoo becomes a symbol of transformation: Otsuya emerges as a figure of allure, dominance, and vengeance. The film remains a key work in Japanese 1960s genre cinema, combining literary adaptation, psychological horror, period melodrama, and the “bad woman” tradition with remarkable visual control.
Poster design
This STB is an exceptionally elegant and disturbing design. The upper section is dominated by the large portrait of Otsuya, seated in a dark floral kimono with her shoulder exposed and her head turned in profile. The spider tattoo spreads across her pale back like a curse made visible, its central female face and long legs transforming the body into the poster’s central site of tension. The surrounding negative space gives the image unusual restraint, allowing the tattoo, the turned glance, and the soft folds of the kimono to carry the dramatic charge.
The title 「刺青」 is rendered in bold, rough-brushed calligraphy, its jagged black strokes echoing both ink and pain. The orange handwritten-style subtitle 「いれずみ」 adds a vivid counterpoint, while the vertical credits along the right edge give the composition a refined, literary quality. The lower panel deepens the narrative implication: Otsuya appears again standing at right, while a man crouches at her feet, suggesting the reversal of power that defines the film. The printed tagline speaks to a woman born through numbing pleasure, piercing pain, and “devilish skin,” underscoring the poster’s fusion of sensuality, horror, and revenge. It is a design of remarkable economy—less sensational than many exploitation posters, yet far more haunting.
Rarity and condition
Japanese STB tatekan posters were produced for actual cinema display and were far less likely to survive intact than smaller standard formats. Because they were issued as two large panels and often pasted together for lobby use, many were damaged, discarded, separated, or heavily worn. Complete examples for serious 1960s Japanese auteur and genre titles are genuinely difficult to find, and Irezumi is especially desirable because of its Masumura / Tanizaki pedigree and its instantly recognizable tattoo imagery.
Condition is excellent, with light signs of age and handling consistent with original theatrical paper of this period. The poster is pre-joined, retaining its full STB display format, and the image presents beautifully with strong color, crisp typography, and impressive overall presence. Please inspect the photos carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale. This is not a reproduction or reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
