The early life history of the viviparous scorpaenid. Sebastes inermis, in Sendai Bay, Japan, was studied and early development described. Newborn preflexion larvae of S. inermis were about 5.2 mm BL. Notochord flexion occurred at 5.4-8.0 mm BL and transformation at 14-20 mm BL. Preflexion and flexion larvae of S. inermis were distinguished from similar larvae by the pigmentation pattern along the dorsal and ventral midlines of the tail. Pigmentation in S. inermis was light throughout the larval and early juvenile periods. Planktonic larvae were particularly abundant in coastal waters of Sendai Bay but not offshore. Vertical and horizontal larval sampling indicated that early larvae occupied near surface waters before gradually moving to deeper layers with growth. The shift to a benthic habitat occurred at about 12 mm BL, at the end of the postflexion larval period. Sebastes inermis do not have a distinct pelagic juvenile stage, unlike many North Pacific species of Sebastes.