Haikyu!! Pilgrimage Guide: Sendai's 4 Player Monuments, Manholes & Karumai's Manga Bridges

Across the city of Sendai stand glass monuments featuring original illustrations drawn by Haikyu!! creator Haruichi Furudate, depicting protagonist Shoyo Hinata and his Karasuno High School teammate Tobio Kageyama alongside three other iconic pairs of volleyball players in action.

Further north in Iwate Prefecture lies Haruichi Furudate's hometown of Karumai Town, where visitors can read the entire manga series inside the Ukamekan cultural center and walk to the gymnasium staircase and Yukiyagawa River bridges that echo memorable scenes from the manga.

Visiting the Player Monuments of Sendai and Creator Haruichi Furudate’s Hometown of Karumai

1Tomizawa Park Hinata & Kageyama Monument: Relocated Site During Kamei Arena Renovations

On August 19, 2023, the City of Sendai appointed Haikyu!! protagonists Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama as its inaugural Sendai Tourism Envoys, unveiling a glass monument etched with a newly drawn illustration by creator Haruichi Furudate showing Hinata dropping low to reach for the ball in the foreground while Kageyama leans forward behind him.

Originally installed beside the south entrance of Kamei Arena Sendai, the monument was relocated to adjacent Tomizawa Park on May 23, 2025 in conjunction with the arena's renovation work, where it stands outdoors for 24-hour viewing and photography.

Because Kamei Arena is scheduled to remain closed for large-scale renovations from May 21, 2025 through March 2027, the monument is scheduled to remain on display inside Tomizawa Park until around March 2027.

Sources: Sendai City — Hinata & Kageyama Tourism Envoy Monument / Kamei Arena Renovation Closure

2Design Manholes Around Tomizawa Station: Four Player Pairs Along the Sidewalk

On April 30, 2025, four Haikyu!! design manhole covers were installed along the pedestrian sidewalk linking Tomizawa Station and Kamei Arena Sendai, each depicting a pair of players against their school's signature team color.

Sources: Sendai City — Design Manhole Installation / Sendai Sewerage Bureau — The Four Designs / Installation Map

3Sendai City Museum: The Tsukishima & Yamaguchi Monument at Tsukishima’s Future Workplace

Standing beside the main entrance of Sendai City Museum is the monument of Kei Tsukishima and Tadashi Yamaguchi, installed here because the original manga establishes that Tsukishima is set to work at Sendai City Museum after graduating from university.

Unveiled on August 5, 2024 and opened to the public on August 6, Haruichi Furudate's original illustration depicts Yamaguchi reaching both hands toward an overhead ball while bespectacled Tsukishima steps forward behind him.

Located at 26 Kawauchi, Aoba Ward, Sendai, the outdoor monument can be viewed without purchasing a museum ticket; if you also tour the indoor galleries, regular hours are 9:00 to 16:45 (last entry 16:15, closed Mondays in principle).

Sources: Sendai City — Tsukishima & Yamaguchi Monument / Sendai City Museum — Monument Location / Museum Hours & Admission

4Motoyama Seisakusho Aoba Arena: The Newly Drawn Oikawa & Iwaizumi Monument

Standing beside the main entrance of Motoyama Seisakusho Aoba Arena is the glass monument of Toru Oikawa and Hajime Iwaizumi, unveiled on August 14, 2025 with original artwork by Haruichi Furudate showing Oikawa extending his arms overhead to set the ball below while Iwaizumi leaps high to swing his right arm above.

Located at 1-1-5 Tsutsumimachi, Aoba Ward, Sendai, the permanent outdoor monument is open for photography, though viewing may be restricted during certain arena events and the parking lot is reserved for arena facility users.

Source: Sendai City — Oikawa & Iwaizumi Monument

5Akiu Sato Center: The Monument Depicting Aone & Futakuchi’s Double Block

On August 10, 2026, a monument of Takanobu Aone and Kenji Futakuchi was unveiled outside the multipurpose hall of the exchange building at Akiu Sato Center, featuring original artwork by Haruichi Furudate of the two players raising both arms side by side in a double block, celebrated at an unveiling ceremony attended by Shueisha representatives, the Sendai Volleyball Association, and local elementary and high school students.

Located at 40-7 Teradahara, Yumoto, Akiu-machi, Taihaku Ward, Sendai (reachable by bus from Sendai Station or JR Ayashi Station to the 'Akiu Sato Center' stop), the center is open daily year-round from 9:00 to 18:00 with free admission, though viewing may be restricted during certain hall events.

Sources: Sendai City — Aone & Futakuchi Monument / August 10, 2026 Unveiling / Facility Guide / Miyagi Tourism Access Guide

6Karumai Cultural Exchange Center ‘Ukamekan’: Reading the Complete Series in the Creator’s Hometown

In Haruichi Furudate's hometown of Karumai Town, Iwate Prefecture, the bus waiting lounge inside the Karumai Cultural Exchange Center 'Ukamekan' features a free reading corner stocked with the entire Japanese Haikyu!! manga series alongside 35 English volumes and 1 French volume.

Upstairs on the 2nd floor, the municipal library holds light novel spin-offs and illustration books, while the ground floor provides local walking maps, restrooms, and coin-return lockers inside the bus waiting lounge.

Located at 8-87-1 Karumai, Karumai Town, the bus waiting lounge is open daily from 6:00 to 23:00 (locking automatically at 23:00).

Sources: Karumai Town — Manga Reading Corner / Ukamekan Location Guide

7Karumai Town Civic Gymnasium Outdoor Stairs: Scenery Evoking the Episode 1 Showdown

At Karumai Town Civic Gymnasium, the wide exterior staircase strongly evokes the 'Civic Gymnasium' scene in Volume 1, Chapter 1 of the manga—where Yukigaoka Junior High's Hinata faces Kitagawa Daiichi's Kageyama in his first and last middle school tournament match and vows to defeat him.

While a special municipal event in 2023 opened the interior with volleyball courts and displays, regular visits are limited to viewing the outdoor staircase from the public exterior.

Sources: Karumai Local Guide — Gymnasium & Manga Scenery / Karumai Town Public Relations — 2023 Interior Event

8Around Showa Bridge: Riverbank Scenery Resembling Young Kenma and Kuroo’s Hangout

Along the Yukiyagawa River near Showa Bridge, the riverbank scenery resembles the place where young Kenma Kozume and Tetsuro Kuroo play in Volume 36, Chapter 318 ('Partner') as well as the cover illustration of Volume 37, connecting the bridge to the childhood memories of the two future Nekoma High School teammates.

In the story, it is Kuroo who first encourages Kenma to try volleyball; in high school, Kenma becomes the setter who orchestrates the offense while Kuroo serves as team captain and middle blocker anchoring attacks and blocks at the net.

Stretching 56.8 meters across the Yukiyagawa River, Showa Bridge and the public riverside roads are open for visitors to walk and view the scenery.

Sources: Karumai Local Info — Showa Bridge & Manga Riverbank / Karumai Town — Showa Bridge Overview / Nekoma Teammate Bond / Movie Official — Player Positions

9Mukaikawara Bridge: A Bridge Resembling the Color Illustration of Hinata’s Walk Home

Located separately from Showa Bridge, Mukaikawara Bridge resembles the bridge where Hinata and his teammates walk home from school in the center-color illustration published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2016 Issue 23, offering views of the river and town from the public bridge and roadside.

Source: Karumai Local Info — Scenery Resembling the Manga

Deeper into the Work: Players and Matches of Haikyu!!

Here we connect the players depicted on Sendai's monuments to Karasuno High School's journey—from Hinata and Kageyama's first meeting to their teammates' roles and rivalries.

Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama: A Story Beginning as Rivals Across the Net

Written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate, Haikyu!! begins when Shoyo Hinata loses his final middle school tournament match to the team led by setter Tobio Kageyama—only to enroll at Karasuno High School and find Kageyama standing in the same gymnasium as his new teammate.

Source: Shueisha — Volume 1 Story Synopsis

Clashing at first as new first-year club members, Hinata and Kageyama team up in an intrasquad match against fellow first-years Kei Tsukishima and Tadashi Yamaguchi, giving birth to their signature 'freak quick' attack combining Hinata's explosive jumping power with Kageyama's pinpoint sets—the exact duo immortalized on the Tomizawa Park monument.

Source: Anime Official — Season 1 Story

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi: Blocking at the Net and Serving Under Pressure

Childhood friends since elementary school, Kei Tsukishima and Tadashi Yamaguchi join the Karasuno High School volleyball club together as first-years.

During the Tokyo training camp, Nekoma captain Tetsuro Kuroo and his peers draw Tsukishima into evening blocking practice, while Yamaguchi's direct words also spur Tsukishima to confront the sport in earnest.

In the Miyagi Prefectural final against Shiratorizawa Academy, Tsukishima stuffs ace Wakatoshi Ushijima's spike in the 2nd set and returns to the court even after injuring his hand in the 5th set, where Yamaguchi also steps up late as a pinch server.

Sources: Karasuno Player Profiles / Season 2 Training Camp / Season 3 Shiratorizawa Final

Losing to Oikawa’s Aoba Johsai and Returning for the Rematch

Toru Oikawa is Kageyama's upperclassman from junior high and the captain leading Aoba Johsai High School; depicted alongside ace spiker Hajime Iwaizumi on the Aoba Arena monument, Oikawa and Aoba Johsai defeat Karasuno in their first official Inter-High prefectural tournament meeting.

Following that loss, Karasuno sharpens its weapons at the Tokyo training camp, and Kageyama even seeks out his rival Oikawa in person for advice as a fellow setter.

When the two schools clash again in the Spring High Miyagi Prefectural semifinal, Yamaguchi scores service aces against Aoba Johsai and Karasuno prevails at the end of a fierce final set with Hinata and Kageyama's quick attack.

That arc—from first defeat and training-camp growth to Oikawa's counsel and Yamaguchi's serves in the rematch—ties together the players honored at Tomizawa Park, Sendai City Museum, and Aoba Arena.

Sources: Season 1 — First Match vs. Aoba Johsai / Season 2 — From Training Camp to the Spring High Rematch

Date Tech’s ‘Iron Wall’ Standing in the Way Before Nationals

Known for shutting down opposing spikers with its 'Iron Wall' block, Date Tech High School is led at the net by Takanobu Aone—who marks Karasuno ace Asahi Azumane—and Kenji Futakuchi, the pair depicted on the Akiu Sato Center monument.

Even after facing Date Tech in the Inter-High preliminaries, Karasuno struggles against the prefecture's premier blocking unit again during their practice match ahead of the Spring High national tournament.

At Akiu Sato Center, Haruichi Furudate's original illustration captures Aone and Futakuchi raising both arms side by side in that signature 'Iron Wall' block on a permanent outdoor glass monument.

Sources: Season 1 — Azumane & Date Tech / Season 4 — Pre-Nationals Practice Match / Akiu Monument Artwork

Advancing to the Official Showdown with Nekoma in ‘The Dumpster Battle’

Advancing to the Spring High national tournament as Miyagi Prefecture's representative, Karasuno defeats Inarizaki High School in the second round to set up a third-round showdown against Tokyo's Nekoma High School—home to setter Kenma Kozume and captain Tetsuro Kuroo.

Hinata first meets Kenma by chance during Golden Week when he runs into the lost Nekoma setter while out on a run during training camp, before discovering across the net that they are opposing players in a practice match.

Unlike the high-flying Hinata, Kenma lacks physical stamina but uses sharp observation, tactical calculation, and a quiet competitive streak to control rallies—prompting Hinata after their first practice match to vow that next time he will make Kenma play with everything he has.

During the joint summer training camps, Nekoma captain Kuroo also coaches rival players during evening practice, mentoring both Karasuno's Tsukishima and Hinata as the two schools grow as both rivals and training partners.

Source: Anime Official — Hinata Meets Kenma & Kuroo's Coaching

After numerous practice games, the two schools meet for the first time in an official tournament match at the Spring High nationals—dubbed 'The Dumpster Battle' after their crow and cat emblems and adapted as the 2024 theatrical film.

Sources: Movie Official — Story of the Nekoma Match / Season 1 — Meeting Nekoma

HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle opened in theaters on February 16, 2024; the official trailer below was released on September 24, 2023 when the premiere date was announced.

Source: Movie Official — Release Date & Trailer Announcement

From Manga Pages to Television and Theatrical Volleyball Action

The Production Team Continuing from Season 1 to the Theatrical Film

Produced by animation studio Production I.G, the Haikyu!! television anime series aired four seasons between April 2014 and December 2020, launched under Season 1 director Susumu Mitsunaka and character designer Takahiro Kishida.

For the 2024 theatrical film HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle, Susumu Mitsunaka returned as director and screenwriter alongside character designer Takahiro Kishida, chief animation director Takahiro Chiba, art director Ichiro Tatsuta, and Season 1 composers Yuki Hayashi and Asami Tachibana, with rock band SPYAIR performing the theme song 'Orange.'

Sources: Season 1 Production Staff / Movie Staff & Music Credits

Hinata vs. Hoshiumi: Toward the New 2027 Projects

The next theatrical feature film, HAIKYU!! vs. The Little Giant—depicting the high-flying clash between Karasuno's Shoyo Hinata and Kamomedai High School's Korai Hoshiumi—is scheduled to open in theaters in 2027 alongside the special anime Where the Monsters Go (Bakemono-tachi no Iku Tokoro).

Sources: August 2026 New Project Announcement / Anime Official — Upcoming Releases

From Single-Player Close-Ups to Wide Shots Showing the Entire Court

Whereas television Seasons 1 through 3 cut rapidly between tight close-ups on each individual set and spike, Director Susumu Mitsunaka framed HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle with wider camera angles that show off-the-ball player movement, court spacing, and ball speed from an on-court perspective.

To structure the entire Nekoma match as a single feature film, Mitsunaka anchored the narrative arc around Kenma Kozume's shifting emotions, culminating in first-person court-level shots including the wide 'view from the summit' Hinata sees beyond the block.

Source: Shueisha — Director Susumu Mitsunaka Interview

The 52-Page Storyboard Booklet Capturing the Final Rally

The Deluxe Blu-ray and DVD edition of HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle includes a 52-page special booklet containing the complete storyboards for the final rally alongside staff commentary and production interviews.

Storyboards serve as the visual blueprint determining camera angles, player movement, and cut-to-cut continuity during animation production.

Source: Movie Official — Deluxe Edition Storyboard Booklet

A Magazine Documenting the Creator’s Location Research and Assistants’ Work

Published in February 2024, Haikyu!! magazine 2024 FEBRUARY features photographs of Haruichi Furudate's on-location research alongside reportage manga drawn by former assistants showing the workspaces behind the series.

Alongside key animation drawings from the film, the issue includes a special roundtable discussion uniting director Susumu Mitsunaka, producer Keiko Matsushita, and founding manga editor Yuko Honda.

Source: Shueisha — Contents of Haikyu!! magazine

From the Start of Serialization to the Monuments of Sendai

2023: Hinata and Kageyama Appointed Sendai Tourism Envoys

On August 19, 2023, Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama were appointed as Sendai City's inaugural Tourism Envoys, documented in the city's official video of the appointment and monument unveiling ceremony.

The archival video shows the monument at its original installation site outside Kamei Arena Sendai prior to its relocation to adjacent Tomizawa Park on May 23, 2025 during arena renovations.

Each subsequent year added a new pair of Sendai Tourism Envoys—Tsukishima and Yamaguchi in 2024, Oikawa and Iwaizumi in 2025, and Aone and Futakuchi in 2026—expanding Furudate's original glass monuments across the museum, arena, and Akiu cultural center.

Source: Sendai City — Ceremony Record & Relocation Notice

Reading the Starting Point of the Story in Haikyu!! Volume 1

Published by Shueisha on June 4, 2012, the 192-page Jump Comics paperback edition of Haikyu!! Volume 1 opens with Hinata's final middle school tournament match and his fateful reunion with Kageyama at Karasuno High School.

Source: Shueisha — Print Volume 1 Bibliography

Lab Note | From a Business Perspective: How Character Pairings Expand the Map of Destinations

Rather than concentrating every tribute at a single site, Sendai placed four distinct pairs of characters—Hinata & Kageyama, Tsukishima & Yamaguchi, Oikawa & Iwaizumi, and Aone & Futakuchi—at separate civic facilities across the city, including Tsukishima's future workplace at Sendai City Museum.

Meanwhile, in Karumai Town, turning the Ukamekan bus waiting lounge into a free manga library lets travelers spend transit waiting time reading the series, while clearly separating outdoor public viewing from facility opening hours helps visitors plan their route smoothly.

Official Sources & Primary References

• Official Series Website & Guide
• 2024 Movie Official Site
• Sendai City — Hinata & Kageyama Tourism Envoys
• Sendai City — Design Manholes
• Karumai Town — Scenery Resembling the Manga
• Shueisha — Manga Volume 1
• Director Susumu Mitsunaka Film Interview

Exhibition dates, opening hours, admission fees, and ticket details are current at the time of writing. Always check the official websites for the latest schedule updates before setting out on your pilgrimage visit.