“The Ceremony” (儀式), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1971, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) ZA401

This is an original Japanese B2 poster printed in 1971 for the first Japanese theatrical release of The Ceremony (儀式), directed by Nagisa Ōshima and produced and distributed by Sozosha and the Art Theatre Guild (ATG). 

Film background

One of Ōshima’s major New Wave works, The Ceremony chronicles twenty‑five years in the life of the powerful Sakurada clan through a series of weddings and funerals, using these ritual gatherings to chart both the family’s decay and Japan’s post‑war political transformation. The narrative follows Masuo, the clan’s uneasy heir, and his cousin Ritsuko as they revisit these ceremonies in flashback, revealing hypocrisy, repression and violence beneath the façade of respectability. The film is renowned for its stylised long takes, symmetrical compositions and biting critique of patriarchal authority and national myth‑making. 

Poster design

The poster uses a stark black‑and‑white photograph as its base: a woman in formal kimono kneels on gravel in the foreground, wrapping cloth around her wrists with grim determination, while a man in a suit watches tensely from the right and a prone figure lies half‑hidden behind a wooden pillar. Splitting the image vertically is a thick red paint stroke that runs from top to bottom, visually suggesting blood, ritual markings and the line dividing generations. The title 「儀式」 appears in dark green across the lower portion, its weighty brush strokes echoing carved stone. Minimal English text—“THE CEREMONY”—appears in small type at the bottom right, preserving the poster’s austere, art‑house feel.

This poster is in very good / excellent condition (please refer to the imagery of the exact poster for sale).

It is over 54 years old.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint. Certificate of Authenticity included.