“Kappa” (河童), Original 1978 Japanese Silk Screen Theatre Poster for Situation Theatre / Jokyo Gekijo, Artwork by Shigeru Mizuki, Design by Katsuto Obe, Slightly Larger than B2 Size, approx. 54.4 × 78.9 cm
This is an original Japanese silk screen poster printed in 1978 for Kappa (河童), written and directed by Juro Kara (唐十郎) for Situation Theatre / Jokyo Gekijo (状況劇場), the legendary Japanese underground theatre troupe associated with Kara’s radical Red Tent performances.
The poster features artwork by Shigeru Mizuki (水木しげる), one of Japan’s most celebrated manga artists and the creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro. Mizuki’s lifelong engagement with yokai, ghosts, monsters, folklore, and the uncanny makes him an especially important artist for this subject. The design is credited to Katsuto Obe (及部克人), a noted designer connected with Japanese avant-garde theatre poster culture.
Printed as a silk screen on paper, this poster is slightly larger than standard Japanese B2, measuring approximately 54.4 × 78.9 cm. Its scale, printing method, theatre provenance, and Mizuki artwork make it an exceptionally scarce object within Japanese manga, theatre, and graphic design collecting.
Issued during the height of Japan’s Angura / underground theatre movement, this poster brings together two major figures of postwar Japanese counterculture: Juro Kara, one of the defining playwright-directors of the Red Tent theatre world, and Shigeru Mizuki, the great modern interpreter of Japanese supernatural folklore.
Why this example is extraordinary — rarity & market
Original 1978 Japanese theatre poster for Situation Theatre / Jokyo Gekijo.
Rare silk screen issue, not a standard offset-printed poster.
Artwork by Shigeru Mizuki, one of the legendary figures of Japanese manga.
Design by Katsuto Obe, associated with the striking visual language of Japanese underground theatre.
Slightly larger than B2, approx. 54.4 × 78.9 cm, giving the image greater presence than standard commercial poster formats.
A rare survival from the ephemeral world of 1970s Japanese avant-garde performance advertising.
Historically important crossover between manga, yokai folklore, radical theatre, and Japanese graphic design.
The red side panel lists the 1978 performance schedule, venue directions, cast, and staff. The production was staged at Aoyama Park, with the poster directing audiences toward the Red Tent — a central symbol of Kara’s theatre practice. The cast list includes major names associated with the period, including Juro Kara, Lee Reisen, Jinpachi Nezu, and Kaoru Kobayashi.
Poster design
A powerful black, red, and off-white composition: a nude female figure bends forward beneath the weight of a kappa, the river spirit rendered in Mizuki’s unmistakable hand — textured, grotesque, humorous, and unsettling at once. The image is both theatrical and folkloric, combining the erotic, the comic, and the uncanny in a manner perfectly suited to Kara’s surreal stage world.
The large brushed title 河童 dominates the upper field, while the central spiral motif and bold red text create a sense of ritual, possession, and performance. Mizuki’s kappa clings to the figure’s back like a burden, spirit, parasite, or impossible companion — an image that feels both ancient and unmistakably modern.
The vertical red panel at left functions as a period theatre announcement, giving dates, venue information, cast, and production details. The lower red band includes a contemporary Seibu Museum of Art / Dufy Exhibition notice, anchoring the poster within the broader cultural landscape of late-1970s Tokyo.
This is not simply a theatre poster; it is a rare graphic artifact from a moment when Japanese manga, folklore, performance, and countercultural design directly overlapped.
Condition
Excellent. Strong black and red inks, crisp image quality, and very good overall presentation. There are tiny pinholes from previous display, with light handling, minor edge wear, and subtle age toning consistent with a 1978 silk screen theatre poster. The reverse is blank, with light show-through and natural paper toning. Please review the photos; they show the exact poster for sale.
It is over 47 years old.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
