“Yasujiro Ozu Film Festival: Living Today” / 「現代に生きる 小津安二郎映画祭」, Original Japanese Shochiku Retrospective Poster 1972, Featuring “Equinox Flower” and “Tokyo Story”, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) Q290
This is a rare original Japanese B2 retrospective poster for 「現代に生きる 小津安二郎映画祭」 — Yasujiro Ozu Film Festival: Living Today — a special Shochiku theatrical event celebrating the enduring cinema of Yasujiro Ozu, one of the most revered directors in the history of Japanese film.
This specific design is especially desirable because it combines a large, highly expressive portrait of Ozu with promotion for two of his most important films: 彼岸花 / Equinox Flower (1958), pictured at lower left, and 東京物語 / Tokyo Story (1953), pictured at lower right. It is both a striking work of graphic design and an important piece of posthumous Ozu-related exhibition ephemera.
Festival background
This poster was produced by Shochiku for a special Ozu retrospective event, presented under the title 「現代に生きる 小津安二郎映画祭」. The festival celebrated Ozu’s continuing relevance to modern audiences and promoted a theatrical double feature built around two major works from different phases of his career.
The featured films are especially significant. Tokyo Story is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made and remains the single most internationally celebrated work in Ozu’s filmography. Equinox Flower, meanwhile, holds a special place within his career as his first colour film, representing a late but crucial development in his visual language.
The poster is also historically resonant as part of a Shochiku memorial-era retrospective campaign, associated with the early consolidation of Ozu’s posthumous stature as a canonical master of world cinema.
Poster design
This Japanese B2 poster is a remarkable and highly distinctive design. The upper portion is dominated by a large, cross-hatched portrait of Yasujiro Ozu, shown wearing his characteristic hat and resting his chin contemplatively on his hand. The image has the feeling of an ink drawing or etched sketch, with rich line work and strong texture against a warm neutral ground.
At upper left appears the Shochiku studio logo with 松竹映画, confirming the studio’s role in the retrospective campaign. To the right, the vertical calligraphic title 「現代に生きる 小津安二郎映画祭」 is rendered in bold black, red, and green, giving the poster a refined but immediately recognizable visual identity.
The lower section presents two still panels from the films being celebrated. On the left is Equinox Flower, featuring a three-woman still and its title in vivid red script. On the right is Tokyo Story, with a still of Setsuko Hara seated beside Chishū Ryū, and the title printed in green. Together, the two film panels anchor the festival’s programming while balancing the poster’s otherwise portrait-led composition.
The overall design is unusually elegant: part retrospective announcement, part studio tribute, and part graphic homage to Ozu himself.
Artist / artwork note
The portrait is signed “hara” at lower left. While the poster functions first and foremost as a Shochiku retrospective publicity design, the signed portrait contributes significantly to its appeal and gives the poster a more individual and artistic character than many standard program posters of the period.
Rather than relying on a conventional photographic montage, the design foregrounds Ozu as cultural figure, using portraiture to frame the festival as a tribute to authorship, memory, and cinematic legacy.
Collector significance
This is an important poster for collectors of:
Yasujiro Ozu material
Shochiku studio ephemera
Japanese retrospective and festival posters
Tokyo Story and Equinox Flower memorabilia
post-war Japanese cinema
museum-grade director portrait posters
The poster’s significance lies in its function as a retrospective tribute piece, rather than a standard first-release film poster. It documents the moment when Ozu’s reputation was being actively framed for new audiences not merely as that of a successful studio director, but as a major modern master whose works demanded renewed theatrical celebration.
It is also especially attractive because it unites two of Ozu’s most important films on one sheet, while making Ozu himself the central visual subject. For collectors of Japanese cinema, that makes it a particularly rich and evocative object.
Among Ozu-related posters, this example stands out for its bold portraiture, distinctive calligraphic typography, and strong curatorial identity. It is not simply a promotional sheet for one film, but a visual statement about Ozu’s lasting place in film history.
Condition
Excellent condition. Please review the photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.
The poster presents beautifully, with strong overall colour, crisp printed detail, clean still images, and excellent display impact. The paper appears very well preserved, with only light signs of age and handling consistent with careful storage of a vintage Japanese B2 poster.
This is an original Japanese Shochiku B2 retrospective poster.
It is not a reproduction or a modern reprint.
It is over 54 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
