“The Love and Adventures of Taro Kuroki” / 「黒木太郎の愛と冒険」, Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1977, Azuma Morisaki / Art Theatre Guild, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) D290
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster for The Love and Adventures of Taro Kuroki / 「黒木太郎の愛と冒険」, the 1977 Art Theatre Guild film directed by Azuma Morisaki.
This poster is especially desirable for its bold, graphic design: red-and-black calligraphy, stark white negative space, pop-art collage, a jeep bursting through a torn paper field, monstrous talons, and a woman aiming a handgun directly at the viewer. It is a striking example of late-1970s Japanese ATG poster design.
Film background
Directed by Azuma Morisaki, The Love and Adventures of Taro Kuroki is a chaotic, satirical, darkly comic ensemble drama released through the legendary Art Theatre Guild / ATG.
The film stars Kunie Tanaka as Taro Kuroki, alongside Mitsuko Baishō, Ichirō Zaitsu, Shōichi Ozawa, Mako Midori, Taiji Tonoyama, and Kihachi Okamoto, among others.
The story follows a 42-year-old stuntman known as “Monku-san” — a good-natured but meddlesome figure drawn into a dangerous rescue mission involving young aspiring filmmakers, yakuza criminality, and a girl being sold into the sex trade. The film combines social satire, action, absurd comedy, and the unruly energy typical of ATG’s more adventurous late-1970s productions.
Poster design
This Japanese B2 poster is a superb piece of graphic pop-art cinema advertising. Against a stark white field, a jagged torn-paper shape reveals a flat sky-blue ground beneath, creating the impression that the image is violently breaking through the surface of the poster.
At the centre is a high-contrast black-and-white ink illustration of a rugged jeep, driven head-on toward the viewer. Beneath the vehicle, huge monstrous talons burst downward, giving the image a surreal, aggressive, almost creature-like force.
At the bottom centre, a photographic image of Mitsuko Baishō shows her bare-shouldered and aiming a handgun directly outward, creating a dramatic confrontation with the viewer. This collision of illustration and photography gives the poster its distinctive ATG-era visual energy.
Across the top, the title 「黒木太郎の愛と冒険」 is written in large red and black calligraphy. The diagonal banner across the jeep asks:
「黒木太郎とは何者か？」
“Who is Taro Kuroki?”
Below, the red Japanese copy announces the film’s rescue premise:
「トルコに売られた少女を救え！愛と男の意地を賭けた黒木太郎決死のなぐり込み」
The lower right identifies the film as an Azuma Morisaki-directed work, with the ATG / Art Theatre Guild release identity visible in the credit area.
Release identification
This poster was printed for the film’s original Japanese theatrical release in 1977.
It is an original ATG-era Japanese cinema poster, not a later reproduction or decorative reprint. The film opened in Japan on 17 September 1977, and this B2 was produced for that original release campaign.
Condition
Excellent condition. Please review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.
The poster presents beautifully, with bold red calligraphy, clean white ground, strong black-and-white graphic detail, sharp photographic imagery, and excellent overall display impact. Only light signs of age, storage, or handling are visible, consistent with careful preservation of an original 1970s Japanese theatrical poster.
This is an original 1977 Japanese theatrical B2 poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is over 45 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
