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Retrieved from: https://sendai-mid-station.jp/craft/c048?lang=en
Historical background
Historical background
The story of this craft dates back to the era of Date Masumune, a warlord based in Sendai. The style of the fishing rods is similar to Edo Wazao, a type of fishing rods made in the Tokyo area from the Edo period. This art is very important to Sendai, because there is only 1 artisan left. The rods are significant because they allow fishermen to fish without putting much work, and they last several generations if they are cared properly for. It is told that some masters of fishing can even tell what kind of fish they have caught on the rod just by the feeling.
A Sendai fishing rod found in the Sendai City Museum of History and Folklore. (Photograph by the author, with permission from the museum)
Characteristics
Characteristics
Making of such a rod is no simple feat. First, a special type of bamboo species has to be selected. The names being madake and konotake. A rod is constructed from scratch, in an around 200 step process, that includes also choosing the adequate bamboo stalk, shaping and sanding, wrapping with silk and lacquer finishing. A good rod takes around a year to create, with timelines ranging from few months up to several years to create one of them. The rods come in different varieties, both heavy-duty sea-fishing rods and smaller rods for the purpose of river and lake fishing.
Where to get them
Where to get them
The only remaining artisan is named Masataka Tamura. He practices under the name of Sao-masa. He started observing his father make rods at 3, and started finishing them when he was in elementary school. According to him, the customers consider the rods a treasure of sorts. He made over 2000 rods in his life. Unfortunately, due to his old age, he is unable to run the shop consistently.
To Learn More
To Learn More
An interview with Masataka Tamura. (Japanese only)
A documentary on Hulu about Sendai fishing rods. (Japanese only)
To see the rod in real life, you can go to the Sendai City Museum of History and Folklore, with Mr. Hatai being the expert on the rods. There you can also find books concerned with the process of making a rod in Sendai traditional manner, and watch a video about them.
Direct Voice
Direct Voice
I believe that this is a very interesting traditional craft form. It is not used only for art or decoration, but it has a real life application. I wish there were more craftsmen making these rods, because they seem really good. The durability of them also sounds great. I think the passion of Masataka Tamura is also a really inspiring point surrounding the craft.
- Bartłomiej Kłodowski
References
References
https://tetotetote-sendai.jp/sendaisao/takaramono.html [Access 10.07.2025]
https://tetotetote-sendai.jp/sendaisao/index.html [Access 10.07.2025]
https://www2.nhk.or.jp/archives/movies/?id=D0004990890_00000 [Access 10.07.2025]
https://nippon-kichi.jp/article_list.do?kwd=774&ml_lang=en [Access 10.07.2025]
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