{"product_id":"samurai-assassin-侍-さむらい-ultra-rare-original-japanese-b1-3-three-sheet-theatrical-billboard-poster-1965-first-theatrical-release-toho-mifune-productions-approx-86-40-in-218-103-cm","title":"“Samurai Assassin” (侍 \/ さむらい), Ultra‑Rare Original Japanese B1×3 “Three‑Sheet” Theatrical Billboard Poster — 1965 First Theatrical Release (Toho \/ Mifune Productions) — approx. 86 × 40 in (218 × 103 cm)","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"216\" data-end=\"917\"\u003eAmong the rarest survivals in Japanese poster culture are the premiere \u003cstrong data-start=\"287\" data-end=\"351\"\u003ethree‑sheet billboards made from three overlapping B1 panels\u003c\/strong\u003e. Produced to span a theatre frontage at roughly seven feet wide, these imposing, large‑format papers were almost always displayed and then discarded—simply too large for space‑conscious storage, and far removed from the country’s traditional collector focus on small, easy‑to‑file ephemera such as chirashi. The result is a steep attrition rate: intact B1×3 sets for major Toho releases are exceptionally elusive today. This example presents \u003cem data-start=\"794\" data-end=\"803\"\u003eSamurai\u003c\/em\u003e in its most dramatic, highest‑impact campaign format.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-start=\"919\" data-end=\"936\"\u003eAbout the film\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"938\" data-end=\"1309\"\u003ePrinted for the 1965 first release of \u003cstrong data-start=\"976\" data-end=\"991\"\u003eSamurai (侍)\u003c\/strong\u003e—internationally known as \u003cstrong data-start=\"1017\" data-end=\"1037\"\u003eSamurai Assassin\u003c\/strong\u003e—this billboard promotes one of the defining, hard‑edged chambara of the decade. The film is directed by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1142\" data-end=\"1161\"\u003eKihachi Okamoto\u003c\/strong\u003e, written by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1174\" data-end=\"1195\"\u003eShinobu Hashimoto\u003c\/strong\u003e, and produced by \u003cstrong data-start=\"1213\" data-end=\"1244\"\u003eMifune Productions for Toho\u003c\/strong\u003e, with \u003cstrong data-start=\"1251\" data-end=\"1269\"\u003eToshirō Mifune\u003c\/strong\u003e starring as rōnin \u003cstrong data-start=\"1288\" data-end=\"1308\"\u003eNiiro Tsuruchiyo\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1311\" data-end=\"2087\"\u003eSet amid the political volatility of late‑Edo Japan, the story draws Niiro into the historical conspiracy to assassinate \u003cstrong data-start=\"1432\" data-end=\"1461\"\u003eIi Naosuke at Sakuradamon\u003c\/strong\u003e—a collision of ideology, desperation, and opportunism staged against a society coming apart at the seams. Okamoto’s cinema is celebrated for its modern velocity and unsparing view of authority; his work sits at the centre of the 1960s revisionist jidaigeki moment (often discussed alongside contemporaries such as Masaki Kobayashi of \u003cem data-start=\"1796\" data-end=\"1806\"\u003eHarakiri\u003c\/em\u003e), where the samurai film becomes a vehicle for disillusionment rather than legend. Here, that sensibility is sharpened by Hashimoto’s architecturally precise writing and \u003cstrong data-start=\"1977\" data-end=\"1994\"\u003eMasaru Satō’s\u003c\/strong\u003e propulsive score—while Mifune delivers one of his most concentrated, ferocious performances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-start=\"2089\" data-end=\"2105\"\u003ePoster design\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2107\" data-end=\"2608\"\u003eA commanding exercise in graphic power and negative space—engineered to arrest attention from across a lobby. The right third is dominated by the colossal, blood‑red title \u003cstrong data-start=\"2279\" data-end=\"2284\"\u003e侍\u003c\/strong\u003e, rendered like a painted strike across the image field, with the vertical reading \u003cstrong data-start=\"2367\" data-end=\"2375\"\u003eさむらい\u003c\/strong\u003e set beside it. Above, the blue headline shouts the film’s moral climate in staccato bursts: \u003cstrong data-start=\"2468\" data-end=\"2497\"\u003e「裏切り！暗殺！動乱の幕末を切り裂く野望の豪剣！」\u003c\/strong\u003e—a breathless catalogue of betrayal, assassination, and ambition cleaving through the turmoil of the Bakumatsu.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2610\" data-end=\"3435\"\u003eAt left, the composition detonates into an unforgettable close‑up: a swordsman’s face fills the frame, \u003cstrong data-start=\"2713\" data-end=\"2757\"\u003ekatana thrust straight toward the viewer\u003c\/strong\u003e, the guard and blade creating a brutal, foreshortened perspective that turns the poster into a confrontation. The centre panel widens to a stark courtyard tableau—figures converging in motion beneath bare trees and dark rooflines—before the eye is pulled back to the monumental red kanji. A strip of four cast portraits punctuates the lower right, while the lower left carries the principal credits, including \u003cstrong data-start=\"3168\" data-end=\"3203\"\u003eHashimoto’s screenplay (脚本／橋本忍)\u003c\/strong\u003e and a distinctive typographic director credit that interlocks \u003cstrong data-start=\"3266\" data-end=\"3272\"\u003e岡本\u003c\/strong\u003e with \u003cstrong data-start=\"3278\" data-end=\"3284\"\u003e監督\u003c\/strong\u003e—a compact, modernist flourish consistent with Okamoto’s sensibility. The \u003cstrong data-start=\"3358\" data-end=\"3379\"\u003eToho roundel (東宝)\u003c\/strong\u003e at the upper right completes the studio identification.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-start=\"3437\" data-end=\"3473\"\u003eWhy collectors prize this example\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul data-start=\"3475\" data-end=\"4301\"\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"3475\" data-end=\"3617\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3477\" data-end=\"3617\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3477\" data-end=\"3525\"\u003eJapanese premiere B1×3 three‑sheet billboard\u003c\/strong\u003e—a format with exceptionally low survival due to scale, theatre use, and routine disposal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"3618\" data-end=\"3796\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3620\" data-end=\"3796\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3620\" data-end=\"3649\"\u003eMonumental display impact\u003c\/strong\u003e (approx. \u003cstrong data-start=\"3659\" data-end=\"3688\"\u003e218 × 103 cm \/ 86 × 40 in\u003c\/strong\u003e)—the classic Toho panoramic billboard size, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"3737\" data-end=\"3793\"\u003eexactly the same dimensions as the Hiken three‑sheet\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"3797\" data-end=\"3941\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3799\" data-end=\"3941\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3799\" data-end=\"3818\"\u003eKihachi Okamoto\u003c\/strong\u003e at full force: a central figure of 1960s chambara modernism, prized for his bleak, contemporary edge within period form.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"3942\" data-end=\"4092\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3944\" data-end=\"4092\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3944\" data-end=\"3965\"\u003eShinobu Hashimoto\u003c\/strong\u003e screenplay and \u003cstrong data-start=\"3981\" data-end=\"4003\"\u003eMifune Productions\u003c\/strong\u003e provenance—top‑tier creative and production pedigree for Toho’s prestige action cycle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"4093\" data-end=\"4301\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4095\" data-end=\"4301\"\u003eOne of the era’s most arresting campaign designs: \u003cstrong data-start=\"4145\" data-end=\"4160\"\u003egiant red 侍\u003c\/strong\u003e balanced against a \u003cstrong data-start=\"4180\" data-end=\"4232\"\u003ewall‑scale, confrontational sword‑point close‑up\u003c\/strong\u003e, with the blue headline and Toho crest delivering instant authority.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-start=\"4303\" data-end=\"4318\"\u003eConservation\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4320\" data-end=\"4591\"\u003eUnrestored and not linen‑backed. \u003cstrong data-start=\"4353\" data-end=\"4373\"\u003eFolded as issued\u003c\/strong\u003e for distribution (one vertical and one horizontal fold per sheet), with expected light fold wear. Paper remains strong and supple with crisp printing, well suited to professional conservation framing or display as is.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-start=\"5138\" data-end=\"5150\"\u003eCondition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"5152\" data-end=\"5739\"\u003eExcellent. Theatre‑used three‑sheet set with very minimal edge\/handling wear. \u003cstrong data-start=\"5279\" data-end=\"5299\"\u003eFolded as issued\u003c\/strong\u003e with light, localized stress at fold intersections only. Colours remain strong—especially the saturated red title and blue headline—against a clean, high‑contrast photographic field. Verso shows mild, even age‑toning with occasional faint handling marks and light pencil notations consistent with original distribution and theatre use. Please review the provided front‑and‑back photographs—shown is the exact poster offered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"5741\" data-end=\"5846\"\u003eIt is over 60 years old.\u003cbr data-start=\"5765\" data-end=\"5768\"\u003eIt is not a reproduction or a reprint.\u003cbr data-start=\"5806\" data-end=\"5809\"\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"5848\" data-end=\"6121\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eA rare opportunity to acquire \u003cem data-start=\"5878\" data-end=\"5906\"\u003eSamurai \/ Samurai Assassin\u003c\/em\u003e at its maximum scale: \u003cstrong data-start=\"5929\" data-end=\"5970\"\u003ea premiere Toho three‑sheet billboard\u003c\/strong\u003e where monumental kanji, modernist typography, and a sword‑point close‑up create one of the most forceful large‑format jidaigeki displays of the 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57006851457402,"sku":null,"price":1500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/modern-living-room-with-a-sofa-and-a-large-plant_1.jpg?v=1771413608","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/samurai-assassin-%e4%be%8d-%e3%81%95%e3%82%80%e3%82%89%e3%81%84-ultra-rare-original-japanese-b1-3-three-sheet-theatrical-billboard-poster-1965-first-theatrical-release-toho-mifune-productions-approx-86-40-in-218-103-cm","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}