{"product_id":"seven-samurai-original-release-japanese-movie-poster-1991-b2-size-51-x-73cm-o568-copy","title":"“Seven Samurai” (七人の侍), Original Japanese Toho Video Rental Promotional Poster 1990, Rare B3 Landscape Size (c. 51.5 × 36.4 cm) S223","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal Japanese Toho Video promotional poster produced in 1990 for the Japanese home-video rental release of Akira Kurosawa’s\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeven Samurai\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e (七人の侍).\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImportantly, this is \u003cstrong\u003enot a theatrical-release poster\u003c\/strong\u003e. It was created for \u003cstrong\u003eToho Video’s landmark 1990 home-video campaign\u003c\/strong\u003e, when Kurosawa’s celebrated body of Toho films was finally made available on video in Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrinted in the compact \u003cstrong\u003eJapanese B3 landscape format of approximately 51.5 × 36.4 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e, the poster was ideally suited to \u003cstrong\u003evideo-rental counters, shop windows and in-store promotional displays\u003c\/strong\u003e, where wall space was substantially more limited than in cinemas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical significance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poster records an important moment in the Japanese home-video history of Akira Kurosawa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRunning vertically down the left side is the announcement:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e「黒澤明監督21作品\u003cbr\u003eついにビデオ化完結！」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“21 films directed by Akira Kurosawa — at last, the video release is complete!”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlongside it appears the exact rental announcement:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e「11月13日 ビデオ・レンタル開始」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003e“Video rental begins November 13.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe campaign therefore represented far more than the release of a single famous film. It celebrated the culmination of a major effort to make Kurosawa’s Toho catalogue accessible to Japanese viewers on home video.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor film collectors today, this makes the poster an appealing document of the moment when one of the most important bodies of work in Japanese cinema entered the \u003cstrong\u003edomestic VHS era\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe composition is wonderfully direct and monumental.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA large \u003cstrong\u003esepia-toned photograph of the seven samurai standing amid tall grass\u003c\/strong\u003e fills almost the entire sheet, giving the image the visual character of an archival photograph rather than conventional commercial advertising.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the centre stands \u003cstrong\u003eToshiro Mifune as Kikuchiyo\u003c\/strong\u003e, carrying his enormous sword across his shoulder. His restless, defiant presence dominates the group, while \u003cstrong\u003eTakashi Shimura as Kambei\u003c\/strong\u003e and the remaining samurai stand around him in a deliberately balanced ensemble composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the centre, Kurosawa’s title appears in forceful black brush calligraphy:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e七人の侍\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeven Samurai\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe stark black lettering against the pale sepia photograph has tremendous authority, recalling the expressive brush typography associated with classic Japanese period-film advertising while remaining exceptionally clean and modern.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the right appears the vertical credit:\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\u003eImmediately beside it is the restrained campaign statement:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e「すべての感動、\u003cbr\u003eすべての美しさが\u003cbr\u003eここにある——」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“All the emotion, all the beauty — is here.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe combination of the restrained sepia image, black calligraphy and sparse vertical copy gives the poster a surprisingly elegant, almost museum-like quality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Have you seen this?”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe strongest graphic interruption comes across the entire lower edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn enormous red characters outlined in white:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e「君は、これを見たか!!」\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— \u003cstrong\u003e“Have you seen this?!”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe phrase transforms the reverential image above into a wonderfully assertive piece of video-store marketing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather than treating \u003cem\u003eSeven Samurai\u003c\/em\u003e merely as an established classic, the campaign challenges a new generation of viewers to finally experience it for themselves at home.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt lower right appear the original \u003cstrong\u003eToho\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eHankyu-Toho Group\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eTOHO VIDEO\u003c\/strong\u003e marks, clearly identifying the sheet as official Japanese home-video promotional material.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFilm background\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginally released in \u003cstrong\u003e1954\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSeven Samurai\u003c\/em\u003e is one of the towering achievements of world cinema.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSet in sixteenth-century Japan, the film follows an impoverished farming village repeatedly terrorised by bandits. Unable to defend themselves, the villagers decide to hire masterless samurai, offering little more than food in payment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVeteran warrior \u003cstrong\u003eKambei Shimada\u003c\/strong\u003e, played by Takashi Shimura, gradually assembles a group of seven very different men to train the villagers and prepare the settlement for the inevitable attack.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong them is \u003cstrong\u003eKikuchiyo\u003c\/strong\u003e, played with extraordinary physical energy by Toshiro Mifune — a volatile outsider whose ambiguous relationship with both the samurai and the peasantry becomes one of the film’s emotional centres.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKurosawa combines \u003cstrong\u003eaction, humour, tragedy, social observation and character drama\u003c\/strong\u003e on an extraordinary scale. The film’s battle sequences, ensemble structure and narrative rhythms became profoundly influential, helping establish a template subsequently echoed across Westerns, war films, adventure cinema and modern blockbusters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe 1990 Toho Video campaign\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis poster belongs specifically to the moment when Kurosawa’s Toho films became widely available through the Japanese home-video market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat makes it fundamentally different from an original 1954 theatrical sheet or a later cinema revival poster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal period promotional object from the first major Japanese video-release era of Kurosawa’s Toho catalogue\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the wording printed directly on the sheet makes that historical purpose unusually explicit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe B3 size was particularly practical for this purpose: substantial enough to attract attention inside a rental shop, but considerably easier to display than the B2 and B1 formats used for theatrical promotion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginal rental-era advertising material was inherently \u003cstrong\u003etemporary commercial ephemera\u003c\/strong\u003e, intended to remain on display only while a new title was being promoted. Surviving examples in strong condition therefore make fascinating companions to traditional cinema posters.\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 an \u003cstrong\u003eexceptionally well-preserved example\u003c\/strong\u003e retaining superb photographic definition, clean cream margins and strong black and red typography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sepia-toned central image remains beautifully even and well defined, while the enormous red \u003cstrong\u003e「君は、これを見たか!!」\u003c\/strong\u003e slogan retains excellent saturation and contrast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe compact landscape composition is particularly effective for framing, 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 and back\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal Japanese Toho Video promotional poster from the 1990 home-video rental campaign for \u003cem\u003eSeven Samurai\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cbr\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003enot a theatrical poster, reproduction or modern reprint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is approximately \u003cstrong\u003e36 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":57255728906618,"sku":null,"price":235.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/IMG_4336_b7b0fd79-168a-4097-a0ea-54db86d961ed.jpg?v=1789115958","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/seven-samurai-original-release-japanese-movie-poster-1991-b2-size-51-x-73cm-o568-copy","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}