{"product_id":"return-of-ultraman-帰ってきたウルトラマン-kaettekita-ultraman-1971-japanese-stb-tatekan-poster-toho-champion-festival-release-ultra-rare-stb-size-c-51-145-cm","title":"“Return of Ultraman” (帰ってきたウルトラマン \/ Kaettekita Ultraman), 1971 Japanese STB Tatekan Poster — Toho Champion Festival Release, Ultra Rare, STB Size (c. 51 × 145 cm) Q241","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"180\" data-end=\"766\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong data-start=\"191\" data-end=\"224\"\u003eoriginal Japanese STB tatekan\u003c\/strong\u003e poster issued in Japan for the \u003cstrong data-start=\"256\" data-end=\"306\"\u003e1971 Toho Champion Festival theatrical release\u003c\/strong\u003e of \u003cstrong data-start=\"310\" data-end=\"332\"\u003eReturn of Ultraman\u003c\/strong\u003e. Produced in the dramatic \u003cstrong data-start=\"359\" data-end=\"373\"\u003eSTB format\u003c\/strong\u003e—two B2 sheets designed to display together as one tall vertical theatre poster—it is one of the most striking large-format posters from the early 1970s Ultra \/ kaiju boom. The design presents \u003cstrong data-start=\"566\" data-end=\"583\"\u003eUltraman Jack\u003c\/strong\u003e, then promoted simply as the “Returned Ultraman,” at monumental scale above a city-destroying battle with two of the franchise’s most memorable monsters: \u003cstrong data-start=\"738\" data-end=\"747\"\u003eGudon\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong data-start=\"752\" data-end=\"765\"\u003eTwin Tail\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"768\" data-end=\"1377\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"768\" data-end=\"803\"\u003eImportant note on authenticity:\u003c\/strong\u003e original Champion Festival STB posters are exceptionally difficult to find, as they were made for short theatrical use, displayed in cinemas, and often discarded after the program ended. This example is \u003cstrong data-start=\"1007\" data-end=\"1050\"\u003e100% original Japanese theatrical paper\u003c\/strong\u003e from the 1971 release, not a reproduction or later decorative reprint. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1379\" data-end=\"2053\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1379\" data-end=\"1398\"\u003eFilm background\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"1398\" data-end=\"1401\"\u003eReleased in Japan on \u003cstrong data-start=\"1422\" data-end=\"1439\"\u003eJuly 24, 1971\u003c\/strong\u003e as part of the \u003cstrong data-start=\"1455\" data-end=\"1480\"\u003eToho Champion Matsuri\u003c\/strong\u003e, this theatrical version of \u003cstrong data-start=\"1509\" data-end=\"1531\"\u003eReturn of Ultraman\u003c\/strong\u003e was assembled from the celebrated two-part television arc featuring \u003cstrong data-start=\"1600\" data-end=\"1609\"\u003eGudon\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong data-start=\"1614\" data-end=\"1627\"\u003eTwin Tail\u003c\/strong\u003e. The episodes were directed by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1659\" data-end=\"1675\"\u003eIshirō Honda\u003c\/strong\u003e, the director of the original \u003cstrong data-start=\"1706\" data-end=\"1718\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eGodzilla\u003c\/strong\u003e and one of the central creative figures of Japanese kaiju cinema, with special effects by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1809\" data-end=\"1826\"\u003eKōichi Takano\u003c\/strong\u003e. The film belongs to the intense early-1970s \u003cstrong data-start=\"1872\" data-end=\"1893\"\u003eSecond Kaiju Boom\u003c\/strong\u003e, when Tsuburaya Productions’ Ultra series and Toho’s Champion Festival programs brought television heroes and monsters onto the big screen for young audiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2055\" data-end=\"2563\"\u003eThe cast includes \u003cstrong data-start=\"2073\" data-end=\"2085\"\u003eJirō Dan\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"2087\" data-end=\"2106\"\u003eRumi Sakakibara\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"2108\" data-end=\"2127\"\u003eNobuo Tsukamoto\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"2133\" data-end=\"2148\"\u003eKen Nishida\u003c\/strong\u003e, with production by \u003cstrong data-start=\"2169\" data-end=\"2194\"\u003eTsuburaya Productions\u003c\/strong\u003e and theatrical release through Toho. The Gudon \/ Twin Tail storyline is among the defining sequences of \u003cstrong data-start=\"2299\" data-end=\"2321\"\u003eReturn of Ultraman\u003c\/strong\u003e, remembered for its dramatic tone, urban destruction, and the sense of genuine danger surrounding Ultraman’s battle against two monsters at once. This poster captures that exact appeal: not simply a hero image, but a full-scale kaiju crisis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2565\" data-end=\"3002\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2565\" data-end=\"2582\"\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"2582\" data-end=\"2585\"\u003eThis STB is a commanding vertical composition. The upper panel is dominated by a huge image of \u003cstrong data-start=\"2680\" data-end=\"2697\"\u003eUltraman Jack\u003c\/strong\u003e, set against a bright blue sky and forming his signature \u003cstrong data-start=\"2755\" data-end=\"2771\"\u003eSpecium Beam\u003c\/strong\u003e pose. The red title \u003cstrong data-start=\"2792\" data-end=\"2810\"\u003e「帰ってきた ウルトラマン」\u003c\/strong\u003e stretches across the top in bold, sweeping lettering, while the green vertical copy warns: \u003cstrong data-start=\"2902\" data-end=\"2950\"\u003e“Ultraman is in danger! Tokyo is in danger!”\u003c\/strong\u003e—a direct and urgent Champion Festival-style appeal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3004\" data-end=\"3665\"\u003eThe lower panel shifts into full battle spectacle. \u003cstrong data-start=\"3055\" data-end=\"3064\"\u003eGudon\u003c\/strong\u003e appears at lower left, emerging amid explosions and smoke, while \u003cstrong data-start=\"3130\" data-end=\"3143\"\u003eTwin Tail\u003c\/strong\u003e coils at lower right in its unmistakable arched form, surrounding the smaller central figure of Ultraman in combat stance. The monsters are labeled in red Japanese text—\u003cstrong data-start=\"3313\" data-end=\"3322\"\u003e「グドン」\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong data-start=\"3327\" data-end=\"3339\"\u003e「ツインテール」\u003c\/strong\u003e—and the city setting below heightens the scale of destruction. The composition is especially effective because it balances the clean heroic image of Ultraman above with the darker, chaotic monster action below. Its scale, color, and theatricality make it one of the most visually desirable Ultra-series posters of the period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3667\" data-end=\"4245\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3667\" data-end=\"3691\"\u003eRarity and condition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"3691\" data-end=\"3694\"\u003eJapanese \u003cstrong data-start=\"3703\" data-end=\"3718\"\u003eSTB tatekan\u003c\/strong\u003e posters were produced for actual cinema display and were far less likely to survive intact than smaller standard formats. Champion Festival STBs are scarcer still: they were printed for limited seasonal programs, handled heavily by theatres, and rarely preserved as complete two-panel examples. For \u003cstrong data-start=\"4018\" data-end=\"4040\"\u003eReturn of Ultraman\u003c\/strong\u003e, and particularly the highly collected \u003cstrong data-start=\"4080\" data-end=\"4103\"\u003eGudon and Twin Tail\u003c\/strong\u003e release, surviving STB examples are considered genuinely rare and are sought after by serious Ultra-series and Japanese tokusatsu collectors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4247\" data-end=\"4697\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eCondition is \u003cstrong data-start=\"4260\" data-end=\"4298\"\u003eexcellent, very close to near mint\u003c\/strong\u003e, with only minimal signs of age and handling consistent with original theatrical paper of this period. Colors remain strong, the image presents with exceptional clarity, and the full two-panel format retains tremendous display presence. Please inspect the photos carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale. This is \u003cstrong data-start=\"4621\" data-end=\"4654\"\u003enot a reproduction or reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4247\" data-end=\"4697\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"4656\" data-end=\"4697\" data-is-last-node=\"\"\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56980117619066,"sku":null,"price":1385.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/man-standing-in-front-of-gallery-wall_9.jpg?v=1781593677","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/return-of-ultraman-%e5%b8%b0%e3%81%a3%e3%81%a6%e3%81%8d%e3%81%9f%e3%82%a6%e3%83%ab%e3%83%88%e3%83%a9%e3%83%9e%e3%83%b3-kaettekita-ultraman-1971-japanese-stb-tatekan-poster-toho-champion-festival-release-ultra-rare-stb-size-c-51-145-cm","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}