The Hidden Fortress (隠し砦の三悪人), Original Japanese Re-Release Movie Poster 1968, STB / Tatekan (c. 51 × 145 cm) — Ultra Rare K368
This is an original Japanese STB / tatekan signboard poster, formed from two matching B2 panels, produced for the 1968 Japanese theatrical re-release of The Hidden Fortress (Kakushi Toride no San-Akunin)—Akira Kurosawa’s monumental 1958 Toho adventure epic starring Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, and Kamatari Fujiwara. Explicitly marked 〈ニュープリント〉 (“New Print”), this imposing two-sheet campaign was created to promote the film’s return to Japanese cinemas and is a superb surviving example of late-1960s theatre display paper.
Film background
First released in Japan on 28 December 1958, The Hidden Fortress follows General Makabe Rokurota as he attempts to escort Princess Yuki and the defeated Akizuki clan’s gold through hostile territory. Their dangerous journey is presented largely through the eyes of two quarrelsome, self-interested peasants, Tahei and Matashichi. It was Kurosawa’s first widescreen production and remains one of his most energetic combinations of action, humour, spectacle, and human drama. At the 1959 Berlin International Film Festival, Kurosawa received the Silver Bear for Best Director, while the film received the FIPRESCI International Critics’ Prize. George Lucas later acknowledged the film as a major influence on Star Wars, particularly its decision to depict an epic conflict from the perspective of two low-status comic characters—the cinematic ancestors of C-3PO and R2-D2.
Poster design
A spectacular, high-impact Japan-only re-release composition built around the extreme verticality of the tatekan format. The central figure towers across both panels, sword raised overhead in a ferocious low-angle action pose, his expression and outstretched arms projecting tremendous physical force. The gigantic vermilion title 隠し砦の三悪人 descends almost the entire left side, while 黒沢明監督作品—“A Film Directed by Akira Kurosawa”—appears in contrasting magenta above. The lower panel introduces Princess Yuki against a stark, mountainous landscape, with horsemen and a sweeping cavalry charge creating movement along the bottom edge. The right-hand campaign text promotes the film’s Berlin and international critics’ honours, its 文部省特選 designation, and the crucial 〈ニュープリント〉 wording identifying the 1968 reissue.
About STB (Tatekan) posters
STBs, or tatekans, are tall, two-panel Japanese cinema signboard posters measuring approximately 51 × 145 cm—about 20 × 57 inches. Each poster consists of two B2 sheets, individually measuring approximately 51.5 × 72.8 cm, which were supplied separately and assembled vertically at the cinema. Intended for theatre signboards, entrance displays, and other prominent advertising positions, they were manufactured for immediate visibility rather than long-term preservation. Complete, correctly matched sets are therefore substantially scarcer than conventional Japanese B2 posters, particularly for major 1960s reissues of celebrated Kurosawa films.
Condition
Very Good+ to Excellent vintage condition, presenting strongly. The colours remain rich and vivid, particularly the dramatic red title lettering. This poster was folded and subsequently stored flat. Please review the photograph—it shows the exact poster for sale.
It is over 57 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a modern reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
