Tenkara fishing originated in Japan over 200 years ago, the first reference to tenkara fly-fishing was in 1878. Tenkara fly-fishing originated with professional fishermen in the mountain streams of Japan who found it an effective method of harvesting the local fish.

Originally the rod was simply a bamboo/cane rod, which was cut and treated, but unlike contemporary western bamboo rods, they were not "manufactured" (i.e. split and glued back together). Unlike in the western fly-fishing tradition where anglers used heavy wooden rods, in Japan anglers always used bamboo, which is readily available and very light. Because of its light weight, Japanese anglers were able to use very long bamboo rods and reach as far as needed without the need to develop reels for the short rods developed in the west

Here is a nice video about Tenkara from Tenkara USA