“Son of Godzilla” (怪獣島の決戦 ゴジラの息子), Original First Release Japanese Speed Movie Poster 1967, Ultra-Rare Speed Format (c. 26 × 73 cm) Q185
This is an original Japanese first-release speed poster printed in 1967 for Son of Godzilla (怪獣島の決戦 ゴジラの息子), the eighth film in Toho’s original Showa-era Godzilla cycle. Released by Toho in Japan, this is an exceptionally rare slim vertical theatrical speed poster, measuring approximately 26 × 73 cm, and not the later Toho Champion Matsuri reissue.
This is a major collector piece: first-release Japanese Godzilla paper, in an ultra-rare speed-poster format, for the film that introduced Minilla, Godzilla’s son.
Film background
Released in 1967, Son of Godzilla occupies a distinctive place in the Godzilla canon. Directed by Jun Fukuda, the film shifts the series toward island adventure, creature spectacle, and family-oriented fantasy while retaining the handcrafted tokusatsu effects that define the Showa period.
The film is especially important as the first appearance of Minilla, placing Godzilla in an unusually paternal role and expanding the emotional and tonal range of the franchise. Alongside Godzilla and Minilla, the film features the giant mantises Kamacuras and the giant spider Kumonga, making it a memorable ensemble entry in Toho’s monster universe.
By the late 1960s, Godzilla had already become a global pop-cultural figure: part nuclear-age allegory, part disaster icon, and increasingly part children’s adventure mythology. Son of Godzilla reflects that transitional moment, when the character moved from post-war dread into the colourful, internationally recognised world of Showa kaijū cinema.
Poster design
This is a superb street-distance Toho kaijū design, built for immediate visual impact. The poster presents Godzilla and Minilla in a bold vertical composition, with the huge red title ゴジラの息子 dominating the centre of the sheet. Along the right side, the yellow title text 怪獣島の決戦 runs powerfully downward, creating strong contrast against the blue and green background.
The design is direct, colourful, and unmistakably Toho: Godzilla and Minilla are positioned as the central attraction, while the typography gives the poster a fast, theatrical energy perfectly suited to the speed format. The Toho roundel appears at upper right, the Eirin approval box appears at lower left, and the © 1967 TOHO CO., LTD. / Printed in Japan credit is printed along the lower margin.
About the format
Japanese speed posters were narrow theatrical advertisements designed for quick, high-visibility display in cinema approaches, theatre-front speed frames, street-facing spaces, station areas, and other compact advertising locations where standard B2 posters were less practical.
Because they were made for short-term public display, speed posters were often pasted, taped, pinned, exposed to light or weather, and then discarded. Surviving examples for major Toho kaijū titles are therefore substantially rarer than standard B2 theatrical posters. A first-release Son of Godzilla speed poster in this condition is an especially strong survivor.
Condition
Excellent vintage condition for this extremely fragile street-display format. The poster is unrestored and not linen-backed.
The colours remain bright and saturated, with strong reds, yellows, blues, and greens. The central image presents very well, with excellent display quality.
Please review the photos; they show the exact poster for sale.
This is an original 1967 Japanese first-release speed poster for Son of Godzilla.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is over 58 years old — nearly 60 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
