“The Night of the Seagull” (砂の香り / Suna no kaori), Original Japanese Release Movie Poster 1968, Very Rare, STB Size (51 × 145 cm) T75
This is an original Japanese STB poster printed in 1968 for the first theatrical release of The Night of the Seagull (砂の香り / Suna no kaori), directed by Katsuki Iwauchi and starring Mie Hama and Jin Nakayama.
Released by Toho, this atmospheric romantic drama was adapted from Matsutarō Kawaguchi’s story Ningyo (“Mermaid”). Set against the beaches of Shonan, it follows a young man’s involvement with a mysterious married woman whose troubled circumstances gradually emerge. Their intense summer romance unfolds beneath the shadow of her trial over the death of her husband’s mistress, giving the seaside setting an unsettling emotional undertow.
With cinematography by Asakazu Nakai, the film combines coastal beauty with a story of desire, obsession and emotional isolation. Hama’s central performance gives the poster its commanding subject, while the elongated STB composition translates the film’s atmosphere into a particularly striking display.
An enormous close-up of Mie Hama fills the upper sheet. Windswept strands of hair cross her pale face, surrounded by deep crimson and burgundy tones that lend the image a feverish intensity. Below, Jin Nakayama’s shadowed portrait introduces a darker counterpoint, extending the composition across the meeting point of the two sheets.
The Japanese title, 砂の香り, descends through the centre in brilliant yellow brush lettering. Its rough, expressive strokes stand sharply against the red and dark photographic imagery. Across the lower sheet, rolling waves and white surf establish the coastal setting, while a narrow monochrome figure study of Hama adds a more intimate, enigmatic element.
The Japanese promotional wording captures the story’s uneasy relationship between love and desire:
「男は ひたすら愛を求める 女は 男を恋の奴隷にした それでも 女は愛の存在を知らない」
“He seeks only love. She has made him a slave to passion. Yet she still knows nothing of love.”
The combination of oversized portraiture, saturated colour and bold calligraphy makes this a compelling example of late-1960s Japanese cinema advertising.
Condition: Very Good+ to Excellent.
Horizontal folds, handling creases and edge wear are visible. There are several tears along the bottom edge of the lower sheet and a tear at the right edge of the upper sheet, shown in the close-up photographs. Light age toning and small edge nicks are also present. The central imagery and yellow title retain strong visual impact.
Please review all photographs, including the individual sheets, reverse and close-up details, as they show the exact poster for sale.
STB tatekan format: approximately 51 × 145 cm when assembled.
Stock code: T75.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
About STB (Tatekan) posters
Japanese STB / tatekan posters were tall standing-board advertisements, printed in two pieces to be arranged one above the other for cinema display. Typically measuring around 51 × 145 cm, their elongated proportions offered considerable scope for distinctive compositions. Designed for temporary theatrical use, complete surviving examples preserve an important part of Japan’s cinema advertising history.
