{"product_id":"sanjuro-椿三十郎-original-japanese-re-release-new-print-movie-poster-1969-akira-kurosawa-toshiro-mifune-b2-size-c-51-73-cm-i137","title":"“Sanjuro” (椿三十郎), Original Japanese Re-Release “New Print” Movie Poster 1969, Akira Kurosawa \/ Toshiro Mifune, B2 Size (c. 51 × 73 cm) I137","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal Japanese B2 theatrical re-release poster printed in 1969 for Akira Kurosawa’s\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSanjuro\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e (椿三十郎), originally released in 1962 and starring \u003cstrong\u003eToshiro Mifune\u003c\/strong\u003e in one of his most celebrated samurai performances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImportantly, this is \u003cstrong\u003enot a poster from the film’s original 1962 premiere campaign\u003c\/strong\u003e. The poster itself explicitly identifies the presentation as:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e〈ニュー・プリント〉\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“New Print”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eand carries the period \u003cstrong\u003eToho\u003c\/strong\u003e markings at the lower edge, identifying it as an original Japanese theatrical revival issue produced for a new-print presentation of the film.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten by \u003cstrong\u003eAkira Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima and Hideo Oguni\u003c\/strong\u003e, from a story by \u003cstrong\u003eShugoro Yamamoto\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSanjuro\u003c\/em\u003e reunited Kurosawa and Mifune immediately after the international success of \u003cem\u003eYojimbo\u003c\/em\u003e, developing Mifune’s wandering ronin into a more humorous, sardonic and unexpectedly humane figure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an exceptionally strong \u003cstrong\u003eJapan-market photographic montage\u003c\/strong\u003e, dominated by an enormous close-up of \u003cstrong\u003eToshiro Mifune as Sanjuro\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMifune’s face fills almost the entire upper two-thirds of the sheet. Unshaven, exhausted and intensely watchful, the portrait captures the combination of toughness, intelligence and irreverence that defines the character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather than presenting Sanjuro as an idealised heroic samurai, the image emphasises his \u003cstrong\u003eroughness and physical presence\u003c\/strong\u003e: dishevelled hair, stubble and a weathered expression that immediately separates him from the formally dressed retainers surrounding him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the centre, in huge expressive red brush lettering, appears:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e椿三十郎\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSanjuro\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe title cuts forcefully across the photographic imagery, its saturated vermilion-red standing in dramatic contrast to the otherwise restrained \u003cstrong\u003esepia, black, grey and cream palette\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt left appears:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e黒澤明監督作品\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003e“A film directed by Akira Kurosawa.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBehind the title are monochrome action images of drawn swords and charging samurai, while the lower portion introduces several of the film’s principal characters in full-length photographic cut-outs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is both unusually sophisticated and highly energetic: the enormous contemplative portrait above is counterbalanced by \u003cstrong\u003emovement, swordplay and confrontation\u003c\/strong\u003e below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA subtle printed musical-staff motif runs along the upper and lower margins, adding another distinctive graphic element to the composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJapanese campaign copy\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe copy at upper left begins:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e「ご存じ三十郎」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“The Sanjuro you know is back.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt continues by emphasising the film’s combination of \u003cstrong\u003eentertainment, extraordinary swordsmanship and the famous sudden-draw confrontation that astonished audiences\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe campaign therefore treats the character almost as an established screen icon—appropriate for a revival following the enormous impact of both \u003cem\u003eYojimbo\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSanjuro\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the right, the vertical designation:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e黒澤明監督作品\u003cbr\u003e〈ニュー・プリント〉\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003emakes the nature of this specific theatrical campaign particularly clear: this was a \u003cstrong\u003enewly struck print being returned to Japanese cinemas\u003c\/strong\u003e, rather than a later home-video or commemorative issue.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFilm background\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story begins when \u003cstrong\u003enine idealistic young samurai\u003c\/strong\u003e become convinced that corruption has infected their clan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir well-intentioned plotting is overheard by a scruffy ronin who initially appears indifferent to their predicament. Recognising that the young men have badly misjudged the political situation, he reluctantly intervenes and prevents them from walking directly into a trap.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAsked his name, the wandering warrior looks outside, notices the camellias, and casually calls himself:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTsubaki Sanjuro — “thirty-year-old camellia.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMifune’s Sanjuro becomes an unwilling mentor to the earnest young samurai, repeatedly exposing the difference between \u003cstrong\u003eromantic ideas of honour and the practical realities of violence, politics and survival\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOpposing him is \u003cstrong\u003eTatsuya Nakadai as Muroto Hanbei\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the most formidable adversaries in Kurosawa’s samurai cinema.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cast also includes \u003cstrong\u003eKeiju Kobayashi, Yuzo Kayama, Reiko Dan, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, Takako Irie and Masao Shimizu\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe final duel\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film culminates in one of the most famous confrontations in Japanese cinema.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSanjuro and Hanbei stand almost motionless opposite one another, each waiting for the smallest opening.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe confrontation lasts only moments once movement begins, but Kurosawa’s staging—silence, stillness and an extraordinarily sudden burst of violence—became one of the defining images of the samurai genre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sequence was profoundly influential, helping establish the grammar of the \u003cstrong\u003einstantaneous final duel\u003c\/strong\u003e subsequently echoed throughout chambara cinema, spaghetti westerns and international action filmmaking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat makes \u003cem\u003eSanjuro\u003c\/em\u003e particularly distinctive, however, is Kurosawa’s treatment of the violence itself. Sanjuro repeatedly criticises the younger samurai’s obsession with swords and heroism, famously suggesting that \u003cstrong\u003ethe best sword is one kept in its sheath\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe extraordinary final confrontation therefore functions not simply as spectacle, but as the brutal culmination of the film’s critique of romanticised violence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKurosawa and Mifune\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSanjuro\u003c\/em\u003e belongs to the extraordinary creative partnership between \u003cstrong\u003eAkira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the defining director-actor collaborations in world cinema.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMifune’s performance extends the character type established in \u003cem\u003eYojimbo\u003c\/em\u003e: an apparently uncouth wandering swordsman whose laziness and cynicism conceal both exceptional intelligence and an underlying moral code.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe performance is simultaneously \u003cstrong\u003ecomic, physical, dangerous and deeply controlled\u003c\/strong\u003e, while Kurosawa surrounds Mifune with an ensemble of rigid, comparatively inexperienced young samurai whose formality makes Sanjuro appear even more unpredictable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result remains one of the most entertaining and accessible films in Kurosawa’s career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1969 “New Print” significance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis poster is particularly interesting because it documents the film’s continued theatrical life after its original 1962 release.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather than reproducing a modern retrospective image, the campaign was created while Kurosawa and Mifune remained towering contemporary figures in Japanese cinema.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe explicit:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e〈ニュー・プリント〉\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003edesignation is therefore an important part of the poster’s history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt identifies this as \u003cstrong\u003egenuine period theatrical advertising for a new-print Japanese revival\u003c\/strong\u003e, preserving the visual language through which Toho reintroduced one of Kurosawa’s major works to cinema audiences during the late 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is now approximately \u003cstrong\u003e57 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe B2 format\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eJapanese B2 measures approximately 51.5 × 72.8 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e, the principal poster format used throughout Japanese theatrical exhibition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe size works particularly well with this composition. Mifune’s enormous face has genuine physical presence, while the vigorous red \u003cstrong\u003e椿三十郎\u003c\/strong\u003e calligraphy cuts dramatically through the lower photographic montage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor collectors of Kurosawa and Mifune, period Japanese revival material is especially appealing because it sits between the scarce original-release paper and much later anniversary reproductions: it remains \u003cstrong\u003eauthentic vintage theatrical advertising produced during the classic era of Japanese cinema\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExcellent condition overall.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a particularly attractive surviving example with \u003cstrong\u003estrong photographic definition, beautifully preserved sepia tones and exceptionally vivid red title lettering\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe principal image of Mifune remains crisp and visually commanding, while the supporting photographic montage, green cast typography and fine printed details remain clear and well preserved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is only \u003cstrong\u003elight age-related handling, subtle surface character and very minor edge \/ corner wear\u003c\/strong\u003e visible on close inspection, entirely consistent with an original Japanese theatrical poster from 1969.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt full B2 scale, the enormous Mifune portrait and red calligraphic title have exceptional presence, and \u003cstrong\u003eonce professionally framed it will display superbly\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease review all photographs carefully; they show the \u003cstrong\u003eexact poster for sale, front, reverse and detailed areas\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal Japanese B2 theatrical “New Print” re-release poster from 1969\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cbr\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003enot a reproduction or modern reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is approximately \u003cstrong\u003e57 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57258650567034,"sku":null,"price":225.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/wall-shelf-with-ornaments-2026-09-12T085515.129.jpg?v=1789170931","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/sanjuro-%e6%a4%bf%e4%b8%89%e5%8d%81%e9%83%8e-original-japanese-re-release-new-print-movie-poster-1969-akira-kurosawa-toshiro-mifune-b2-size-c-51-73-cm-i137","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}