“Bonds of Love” (愛のきずな / Ai no Kizuna), Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1969, B2 Size (c. 51 × 73 cm) ZA1269

An original Japanese B2 theatrical poster for Takashi Tsuboshima’s Bonds of Love, released in Japan by Toho on 15 February 1969. Adapted from Seichō Matsumoto’s short story Tazutazushi (たづたづし), the film stars Mari Sono and Makoto Fujita as lovers whose affair gives way to suspicion and fear.

In Excellent condition, with rich colour in Mari Sono’s portrait and the magenta Japanese title sharply defined against the dark background.

Film background

Ryōhei Suzuki (Makoto Fujita) has married his boss’s daughter. His colleagues envy him, but he feels the weight of his father-in-law’s authority even at home. One rainy evening he meets Yukiko Hirai (Mari Sono), and the two begin an affair. Months later, Yukiko tells him that her husband is in prison. She intends to confess everything and ask for a divorce when he comes out. Convinced that her husband will come after him, Ryōhei begins to contemplate murder.

Poster design

Sono’s upside-down portrait fills the lower half of the sheet. A hand wearing an amber-coloured ring reaches down from the top edge, one fingertip touching her lips. Above her, two men glance sideways from a strip of photographs with a torn-paper edge. The magenta title descends along the left margin towards a small, full-length figure of Sono picked out in pink.

The white Japanese publicity text reads
「男をまどわせる 妖しい柔肌の魅力…… 愛情と殺意が交錯する 戦慄の情事」
“The dangerous allure of soft skin that leads men astray… A chilling affair in which love and the urge to kill intertwine.”

Condition

Excellent overall. A central vertical fold and a horizontal fold are visible, most clearly on the reverse. Small tape tabs remain at the upper edge, the right edge and the central fold intersection. There are light surface marks in the darker areas of the front. Please review the front and reverse photographs for the full condition.

An original vintage Japanese theatrical poster from Toho’s 1969 first release.
Over 57 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.