{"product_id":"rikidozan-aa-hana-no-shogai-doto-no-karate-chop-あゝ-花の生涯-怒涛の空手チョップ-1964-japanese-regional-two-sheet-poster-rare-approx-51-5-115-cm-overall","title":"“Rikidōzan – ‘Aa! Hana no Shōgai’ \/ ‘Doto no Karate Chop’” (あゝ！花の生涯 \/ 怒涛の空手チョップ), 1964 Japanese Regional Two-Sheet Poster, Rare, approx. 51.5 × 115 cm overall P181","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"173\" data-end=\"939\"\u003eThis is a \u003cstrong data-start=\"183\" data-end=\"230\"\u003evintage Japanese regional exhibition poster\u003c\/strong\u003e celebrating \u003cstrong data-start=\"243\" data-end=\"256\"\u003eRikidōzan\u003c\/strong\u003e, sourced in the \u003cstrong data-start=\"273\" data-end=\"294\"\u003eKyoto countryside\u003c\/strong\u003e and preserved in a highly unusual \u003cstrong data-start=\"329\" data-end=\"358\"\u003etwo-sheet vertical format\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong data-start=\"360\" data-end=\"391\"\u003eupper sheet c. 51.5 × 78 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"393\" data-end=\"424\"\u003elower sheet c. 51.5 × 38 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e, for a combined display size of roughly \u003cstrong data-start=\"465\" data-end=\"482\"\u003e51.5 × 115 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e. The sheet itself announces a \u003cstrong data-start=\"513\" data-end=\"533\"\u003ememorial release\u003c\/strong\u003e (“力道山追悼記念公開!”). \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"941\" data-end=\"1218\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"941\" data-end=\"976\"\u003eImportant note on authenticity:\u003c\/strong\u003e this is \u003cstrong data-start=\"985\" data-end=\"1024\"\u003ecatalogued as period Japanese paper\u003c\/strong\u003e, not as a modern decorative print. The unusual split construction, age toning to the reverse, and the overall feel of the paper are all consistent with a genuine vintage regional display piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1220\" data-end=\"1772\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1220\" data-end=\"1244\"\u003eRikidōzan background\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"1244\" data-end=\"1247\"\u003eRikidōzan is widely regarded as the \u003cstrong data-start=\"1283\" data-end=\"1328\"\u003efather of Japanese professional wrestling\u003c\/strong\u003e. He emerged as a major star in \u003cstrong data-start=\"1360\" data-end=\"1368\"\u003e1951\u003c\/strong\u003e, founded the \u003cstrong data-start=\"1382\" data-end=\"1414\"\u003eJapan Pro Wrestling Alliance\u003c\/strong\u003e in \u003cstrong data-start=\"1418\" data-end=\"1426\"\u003e1953\u003c\/strong\u003e, and became one of the defining television heroes of the postwar era, with fans gathering around TV sets to watch him defeat Western opponents with his trademark \u003cstrong data-start=\"1589\" data-end=\"1604\"\u003ekarate chop\u003c\/strong\u003e. Japanese reporting has continued to describe him as a figure who lifted a war-weary public and as a \u003cstrong data-start=\"1706\" data-end=\"1734\"\u003e“postwar Japanese hero.”\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1774\" data-end=\"2380\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1774\" data-end=\"1808\"\u003ePoster \/ exhibition background\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"1808\" data-end=\"1811\"\u003eThe language on this poster makes strong historical sense. Rikidōzan’s own \u003cstrong data-start=\"1886\" data-end=\"1908\"\u003e1962 autobiography\u003c\/strong\u003e was titled \u003cstrong data-start=\"1920\" data-end=\"1935\"\u003e空手チョップ世界を行く\u003c\/strong\u003e (“Karate Chop Travels the World”), and official film records show that his career generated a string of \u003cstrong data-start=\"2040\" data-end=\"2070\"\u003erecord \/ documentary films\u003c\/strong\u003e in the 1950s, including \u003cstrong data-start=\"2095\" data-end=\"2108\"\u003e力道山 勝利の記録\u003c\/strong\u003e (1955), \u003cstrong data-start=\"2117\" data-end=\"2129\"\u003e力道山の世界征服\u003c\/strong\u003e (1956), and \u003cstrong data-start=\"2142\" data-end=\"2163\"\u003e力道山空手チョップの嵐（東京大会）\u003c\/strong\u003e (1956). In other words, phrases like \u003cstrong data-start=\"2201\" data-end=\"2216\"\u003e“怒涛の空手チョップ”\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong data-start=\"2221\" data-end=\"2231\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e“長編記録”\u003c\/strong\u003e sit squarely inside the real media culture that surrounded Rikidōzan in his lifetime and immediately after it. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2382\" data-end=\"3323\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2382\" data-end=\"2399\"\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"2399\" data-end=\"2402\"\u003eWhat makes this piece so compelling is its \u003cstrong data-start=\"2445\" data-end=\"2478\"\u003ewild, regional graphic energy\u003c\/strong\u003e. Rather than a polished studio layout, this feels like \u003cstrong data-start=\"2534\" data-end=\"2608\"\u003elocal theatrical advertising pushed to the edge of pulp-art brilliance\u003c\/strong\u003e: Rikidōzan stands as an enormous central figure, blood streaming down his face and chest, belt strapped around his waist, while a deep blue collage of ring action, masked wrestlers, and crowd imagery swirls behind him. The lower sheet completes the composition with a huge \u003cstrong data-start=\"2882\" data-end=\"2897\"\u003eglobe motif\u003c\/strong\u003e, the black silhouette of his legs bridging the join between the two sections, and massive \u003cstrong data-start=\"2988\" data-end=\"3017\"\u003ered-and-white calligraphy\u003c\/strong\u003e screaming up the left side. The palette—\u003cstrong data-start=\"3058\" data-end=\"3128\"\u003eelectric cyan, blood red, acid yellow, flesh tones, and hard black\u003c\/strong\u003e—is unforgettable. It is a poster that feels less like standard film advertising and more like a piece of raw postwar popular mythology. \u003cstrong data-start=\"3265\" data-end=\"3323\"\u003eOnce framed, it will be an extraordinary display item.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3325\" data-end=\"3624\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3325\" data-end=\"3349\"\u003eRarity and condition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"3349\" data-end=\"3352\"\u003eThis is a \u003cstrong data-start=\"3362\" data-end=\"3406\"\u003ehighly unusual Japanese wrestling poster\u003c\/strong\u003e, especially in this \u003cstrong data-start=\"3427\" data-end=\"3467\"\u003enon-standard two-sheet regional size\u003c\/strong\u003e. Its Kyoto-countryside provenance only adds to the appeal: everything about it suggests paper made for \u003cstrong data-start=\"3571\" data-end=\"3594\"\u003ereal exhibition use.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3626\" data-end=\"4087\"\u003eCondition is \u003cstrong data-start=\"3639\" data-end=\"3672\"\u003eexcellent overall for its age\u003c\/strong\u003e. The colours remain striking and the poster displays superbly. There is a \u003cstrong data-start=\"3747\" data-end=\"3828\"\u003etiny area of paper loss to the bottom left-hand corner from previous display\u003c\/strong\u003e, visible in the additional imagery, but aside from that it presents extremely well. The reverse shows the expected age toning and handling consistent with vintage Japanese paper. Please inspect the photos carefully as they show the \u003cstrong data-start=\"4061\" data-end=\"4086\"\u003eexact poster for sale\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4089\" data-end=\"4382\"\u003eA remarkable chance to acquire a \u003cstrong data-start=\"4122\" data-end=\"4170\"\u003ehighly distinctive Rikidōzan memorial poster\u003c\/strong\u003e—\u003cstrong data-start=\"4171\" data-end=\"4191\"\u003elikely mid-1960s\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"4193\" data-end=\"4218\"\u003eregional in character\u003c\/strong\u003e, visually unlike standard wrestling paper, and a superb centrepiece for collectors of \u003cstrong data-start=\"4305\" data-end=\"4381\"\u003eJapanese postwar culture, wrestling history, or outsider cinema graphics\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56704236880250,"sku":null,"price":525.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/cozy-room-with-armchair-and-wall-shelf_4.jpg?v=1773799625","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/rikidozan-aa-hana-no-shogai-doto-no-karate-chop-%e3%81%82%e3%82%9d-%e8%8a%b1%e3%81%ae%e7%94%9f%e6%b6%af-%e6%80%92%e6%b6%9b%e3%81%ae%e7%a9%ba%e6%89%8b%e3%83%81%e3%83%a7%e3%83%83%e3%83%97-1964-japanese-regional-two-sheet-poster-rare-approx-51-5-115-cm-overall","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}