“Red Lion” (赤毛), Original Japanese Movie Poster 1969, First Release, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) O512

This is an original Japanese B2 poster printed in 1969 for the first theatrical release of Red Lion (赤毛), directed by Kihachi Okamoto and starring Toshirō Mifune and Shima Iwashita. 

Film background
Set in the turbulent final years of the Tokugawa shogunate, Red Lion follows peasant Gonzo (Mifune), who returns to his village impersonating an Imperial officer, only to be swept into a revolt against corrupt local officials. What begins as comedic masquerade gradually darkens into pointed political satire and tragic drama—a trademark of Okamoto’s genre‑bending chambara films. The movie is now appreciated as one of Mifune’s great late‑’60s performances, mixing broad physical comedy with brutal battlefield intensity.

Poster design
This dynamic B2 showcases Okamoto’s blend of spectacle and character. The enormous close‑up of Mifune’s face, hair blazing red beneath a patterned headband, dominates the upper right, his profile set against a storm of cavalry and charging samurai below. Shima Iwashita’s portrait balances the composition on the left, offering a quiet counterpoint to Mifune’s ferocity. The title 赤毛 slashes across the lower field in bold brush‑stroke red, echoing the hero’s mane and the film’s revolutionary bloodshed. Smaller vignettes of sword fights and galloping horses complete a classic Toho period‑action layout.

This poster is in very good vintage condition for its age. It has the original folds, some fold wear and small creases, light edge wear, and minor age toning, but no major losses—please study the photos of the exact poster for sale.

It is over 56 years old.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

Certificate of Authenticity included.