{"product_id":"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","title":"“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","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"237\" data-end=\"527\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong data-start=\"248\" data-end=\"288\"\u003eoriginal Japanese silk screen poster\u003c\/strong\u003e printed in 1978 for \u003cem data-start=\"309\" data-end=\"316\"\u003eKappa\u003c\/em\u003e (河童), written and directed by \u003cstrong data-start=\"347\" data-end=\"360\"\u003eJuro Kara\u003c\/strong\u003e (唐十郎) for \u003cstrong data-start=\"371\" data-end=\"392\"\u003eSituation Theatre\u003c\/strong\u003e \/ \u003cstrong data-start=\"395\" data-end=\"411\"\u003eJokyo Gekijo\u003c\/strong\u003e (状況劇場), the legendary Japanese underground theatre troupe associated with Kara’s radical \u003cstrong data-start=\"501\" data-end=\"513\"\u003eRed Tent\u003c\/strong\u003e performances.\u003cspan aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"529\" data-end=\"946\"\u003eThe poster features artwork by \u003cstrong data-start=\"560\" data-end=\"578\"\u003eShigeru Mizuki\u003c\/strong\u003e (水木しげる), one of Japan’s most celebrated manga artists and the creator of \u003cem data-start=\"652\" data-end=\"670\"\u003eGeGeGe no Kitaro\u003c\/em\u003e. Mizuki’s lifelong engagement with \u003cstrong data-start=\"706\" data-end=\"715\"\u003eyokai\u003c\/strong\u003e, ghosts, monsters, folklore, and the uncanny makes him an especially important artist for this subject. The design is credited to \u003cstrong data-start=\"846\" data-end=\"861\"\u003eKatsuto Obe\u003c\/strong\u003e (及部克人), a noted designer connected with Japanese avant-garde theatre poster culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"948\" data-end=\"1257\"\u003ePrinted as a \u003cstrong data-start=\"961\" data-end=\"985\"\u003esilk screen on paper\u003c\/strong\u003e, this poster is slightly larger than standard Japanese B2, measuring approximately \u003cstrong data-start=\"1069\" data-end=\"1087\"\u003e54.4 × 78.9 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e. Its scale, printing method, theatre provenance, and Mizuki artwork make it an exceptionally scarce object within Japanese manga, theatre, and graphic design collecting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1259\" data-end=\"1594\"\u003eIssued during the height of Japan’s \u003cstrong data-start=\"1295\" data-end=\"1305\"\u003eAngura\u003c\/strong\u003e \/ underground theatre movement, this poster brings together two major figures of postwar Japanese counterculture: \u003cstrong data-start=\"1420\" data-end=\"1433\"\u003eJuro Kara\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the defining playwright-directors of the Red Tent theatre world, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"1511\" data-end=\"1529\"\u003eShigeru Mizuki\u003c\/strong\u003e, the great modern interpreter of Japanese supernatural folklore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1596\" data-end=\"1651\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1596\" data-end=\"1651\"\u003eWhy this example is extraordinary — rarity \u0026amp; market\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1653\" data-end=\"1732\"\u003eOriginal 1978 Japanese theatre poster for \u003cstrong data-start=\"1695\" data-end=\"1731\"\u003eSituation Theatre \/ Jokyo Gekijo\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1734\" data-end=\"1799\"\u003eRare \u003cstrong data-start=\"1739\" data-end=\"1754\"\u003esilk screen\u003c\/strong\u003e issue, not a standard offset-printed poster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1801\" data-end=\"1879\"\u003eArtwork by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1812\" data-end=\"1830\"\u003eShigeru Mizuki\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the legendary figures of Japanese manga.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1881\" data-end=\"1985\"\u003eDesign by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1891\" data-end=\"1906\"\u003eKatsuto Obe\u003c\/strong\u003e, associated with the striking visual language of Japanese underground theatre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1987\" data-end=\"2114\"\u003eSlightly larger than B2, approx. \u003cstrong data-start=\"2020\" data-end=\"2038\"\u003e54.4 × 78.9 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e, giving the image greater presence than standard commercial poster formats.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2116\" data-end=\"2211\"\u003eA rare survival from the ephemeral world of 1970s Japanese avant-garde performance advertising.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2213\" data-end=\"2326\"\u003eHistorically important crossover between \u003cstrong data-start=\"2254\" data-end=\"2325\"\u003emanga, yokai folklore, radical theatre, and Japanese graphic design\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2328\" data-end=\"2715\"\u003eThe red side panel lists the 1978 performance schedule, venue directions, cast, and staff. The production was staged at \u003cstrong data-start=\"2448\" data-end=\"2463\"\u003eAoyama Park\u003c\/strong\u003e, 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 \u003cstrong data-start=\"2641\" data-end=\"2654\"\u003eJuro Kara\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"2656\" data-end=\"2670\"\u003eLee Reisen\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"2672\" data-end=\"2689\"\u003eJinpachi Nezu\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"2695\" data-end=\"2714\"\u003eKaoru Kobayashi\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2717\" data-end=\"2734\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2717\" data-end=\"2734\"\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2736\" data-end=\"3117\"\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3119\" data-end=\"3440\"\u003eThe large brushed title \u003cstrong data-start=\"3143\" data-end=\"3149\"\u003e河童\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3442\" data-end=\"3752\"\u003eThe 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 \u003cstrong data-start=\"3623\" data-end=\"3664\"\u003eSeibu Museum of Art \/ Dufy Exhibition\u003c\/strong\u003e notice, anchoring the poster within the broader cultural landscape of late-1970s Tokyo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3754\" data-end=\"3930\"\u003eThis is not simply a theatre poster; it is a rare graphic artifact from a moment when \u003cstrong data-start=\"3840\" data-end=\"3909\"\u003eJapanese manga, folklore, performance, and countercultural design\u003c\/strong\u003e directly overlapped.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3932\" data-end=\"3945\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3932\" data-end=\"3945\"\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3947\" data-end=\"4338\"\u003eExcellent. Strong black and red inks, crisp image quality, and very good overall presentation. There are \u003cstrong data-start=\"4052\" data-end=\"4091\"\u003etiny pinholes from previous display\u003c\/strong\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4340\" data-end=\"4364\"\u003eIt is over 47 years old.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4366\" data-end=\"4404\"\u003eIt is not a reproduction or a reprint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4406\" data-end=\"4443\"\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57043331875194,"sku":null,"price":975.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/man-looking-at-an-art-gallery-wall_81.jpg?v=1783212955","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/kappa-%e6%b2%b3%e7%ab%a5-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","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}