“Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter”, Original Japanese First Release Movie Poster 1970, Theatre-Used with Original Snipe, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) N292

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1970 for the first release of Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (野良猫ロック セックス・ハンター), the third film in Nikkatsu’s cult Stray Cat Rock series. Directed by Yasuharu Hasebe and starring Meiko Kaji, Tatsuya Fuji, Rikiya Yasuoka, and Jirō Okazaki, the film was released in Japan on 1 September 1970.

This particular example is especially appealing because it survives with its original theatre-applied screening snipe still attached beneath the B2 poster, together with period handwritten annotations to the reverse—giving it unusually strong provenance as a genuinely used piece of Japanese cinema advertising.

Film background

Set around the bars and streets surrounding an American military base, Sex Hunter follows Mako, played by Meiko Kaji, amid escalating conflict between delinquent youth gangs.

When Kazuma, a mixed-race drifter searching for his missing sister, arrives in town, tensions intensify between the male Eagles gang and Mako’s circle. What begins as youth-gang rivalry develops into a violent story of prejudice, revenge, loyalty, and racial hostility.

The film combines youth rebellion, crime, music, sexuality, and hard-edged action, but beneath its exploitation framework is a notably darker examination of prejudice in post-war Japan. It is the third of the five Stray Cat Rock films and one of the most confrontational entries in the series.

For Meiko Kaji, the series was an important stage in the development of the fiercely independent screen persona she would later bring to Female Prisoner Scorpion and Lady Snowblood.

Poster design

This Japanese B2 is an outstanding example of early-1970s Nikkatsu exploitation-poster design, combining photographic montage, saturated primary colours, huge typography, and provocative campaign imagery.

The composition is centred on Meiko Kaji, photographed in a white blouse and low-slung trousers, staring directly towards the viewer. Her cool, confrontational pose provides the visual anchor for a collage of characters and scenes surrounding her.

At upper left, the Japanese title:

「野良猫ロック」
“Stray Cat Rock”

appears in enormous yellow characters against a bright blue rectangular field.

Running vertically down the left side, the subtitle:

「セックス・ハンター」
“Sex Hunter”

is rendered in huge hot-pink lettering over diagonal green-and-yellow stripes, giving the poster the visual energy of contemporary fashion graphics, music advertising, and underground youth culture.

The photographic montage includes Tatsuya Fuji and Rikiya Yasuoka, alongside scenes of confrontation and sexuality that emphasise the film’s mixture of gang warfare and provocative exploitation cinema.

The campaign copy at upper right reads:

「あの混血を追いつめろ！
女とライフルと
カービンが炸裂する
ビート・アクション!!」

Approximately:

“Hunt him down! Women, rifles and carbines explode in beat-action!”

The language is deliberately sensational and reflects both the film’s racial-conflict storyline and the aggressive style of period Japanese exploitation advertising.

The poster also retains its original Dainichi Eihai distribution identification, colour-film marking, director credit for Yasuharu Hasebe, and Eirin certification, firmly establishing it as authentic first-release theatrical paper.

Meiko Kaji and the Stray Cat Rock series

The Stray Cat Rock films occupy an important position in the development of Japanese youth and action cinema around 1970.

Their combination of female-led gangs, contemporary music, fashion, political tension, counterculture, motorcycles, and urban violence distinguished them sharply from more traditional studio productions.

Meiko Kaji became the defining presence of the series. Her restrained intensity and anti-establishment screen persona would soon make her one of the most internationally recognisable cult actresses of 1970s Japanese cinema.

Sex Hunter is particularly notable for pushing beyond straightforward delinquent-gang entertainment into a more volatile examination of racial prejudice and social alienation.

Original theatre snipe

A particularly special feature of this example is the original theatre snipe attached along the bottom of the poster.

The printed strip announces:

「14日〜20日　笠岡セントラル」

identifying a 14th–20th screening engagement at Kasaoka Central, with additional handwritten promotional notes added by the cinema.

These locally produced snipes were applied by individual theatres to standard national campaign posters to advertise their own screening dates, programmes, and local information. They were temporary by nature and were often removed or discarded once a run ended.

Its survival here provides excellent evidence of the poster’s genuine working life inside a Japanese cinema.

For framing, there are two attractive options:

The snipe can be displayed beneath the poster, preserving the complete theatre-used appearance and making its exhibition history immediately visible.

Alternatively, the snipe can simply be folded behind the B2 sheet when framed, allowing the standard poster artwork to be displayed while keeping the original theatre attachment intact and preserved.

For a collector, the snipe and handwritten reverse markings add considerably to the poster’s historical character rather than detracting from it.

Condition

Very Good. The poster presents very strongly overall, with vivid colour and excellent graphic impact.

There are original horizontal fold lines, handling creases, light age-related wear, and evidence of genuine theatrical use. The reverse retains period handwriting and the original theatre snipe remains attached along the lower edge.

These characteristics are entirely consistent with an authentic Japanese cinema poster that was actually displayed and used rather than stored unused.

Once framed, the poster will display extremely well—either with the original Kasaoka Central snipe visible or with the snipe folded safely behind the poster.

Please review the photographs carefully—they show the exact poster for sale.

This poster is an original Japanese theatrical B2 from the 1970 first-release campaign.
It is not a reproduction or a modern reprint.

It is approximately 56 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.