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Kihachiro Onitsuka, the founder of the now well-known trainers and
clothing brand Asics Onitsuka Tiger, had already led an adventurous
life. Then in 1949, at the age of 31, he entered a new phase in his
life. After years in the military and having worked for a company who
bought and sold beer on the black market, Kihachiro Onitsuka decided
that sports could play an important role in rebuilding the self-esteem
of the youngsters in Japan. He learned how to manufacture trainers and
founded Onitsuka Co Ltd. It was the start of a company that would
develop into Asics Onitsuka Tiger – one of the five largest brands in
the world market of sports shoes.
Onitsuka Basketball Shoes
Yukio Matsumoto, head coach of the Kobe High School basketball team,
urged Kihachiro Onitsuka to start manufacturing trainers for basketball.
He strongly believed that basketball would soon become a popular sport
in Japan. Onitsuka’s first shoe design resembled a straw sandal rather
than a basketball shoe and was greeted with mockery by the school coach.
From that moment on Kihachiro Onitsuka came over to watch the
basketball team practice whenever he could. He observed the movements of
the feet and started wondering how he could create trainers that
enabled the players to make sudden stops and starts.
In the summer of 1951, during a vacation, Kihachiro Onitsuka saw a
plate with pickles and octopus legs. He suddenly realised that the
suction cups of the octopus could be the key he had been looking for. He
used the concept of the suction cups for the sole of the Onitsuka
basketball shoes he was working on at the time and took them to the
team. One of the players tried the trainers and the sole design proved
so effective that he tumbled and fell when he made a sudden stop.
Kihachiro Onitsuka adjusted the shape of the suction cups and he finally
had what he wanted: basketball shoes that made it possible to stop and
start without slipping.
The support of the coaches and players proved crucial to the success
of Onitsuka. When Kihachiro Onitsuka took samples of his trainers to the
sports stores, their first reaction was that they could not do business
with him because they only bought from wholesalers. Kihachiro Onitsuka
then visited the basketball coaches of high schools and showed them his
basketball shoes. The coaches were enthusiastic and went with him to the
stores to tell them that the students would be wearing Onitsuka
trainers from then on. All Kihachiro Onitsuka had to do after that was
write down the orders.
Onitsuka Tiger Running Shoes
By 1953 Kihachiro Onitsuka had broadened his interest towards running
shoes. Working with top Marathon runner Tooru Terasawa, he decided to
try and develop a way to avoid long distance runners getting blisters.
The air-cooling system of motorcycles served as an inspiration. He used a
loosely woven cloth for the top of the trainers and made a number of
holes in the front and the sides. As a result of these measures the
trainers now enabled the feet to “breathe”. In addition Kihachiro
Onitsuka designed a two-layered sole to soften the impact. Terasawa
tried the trainers on and ran 42 kilometres and 195 metres without
blisters for the first time.
Onitsuka Tiger And Abebe Bikila
It took a little persuasion to get the legendary Ethiopian Marathon
runner Abebe Bikila to wear Onitsuka Tiger trainers. As a matter of
fact, up until 1957, Abebe didn’t wear shoes at all. When Kihachiro
Onitsuka saw Abebe winning the Olympic Marathon in 1956 in Melbourne,
Australia, he was worried about the future of Onitsuka Tiger. Abebe ran
barefoot. The next year, when Abebe Bikila ran the Mainichi Marathon in
Japan, Kihachiro Onitsuka visited him in his hotel. “Why didn’t you
bring your running shoes?” he asked. “Because I don’t have any”, was the
athlete’s answer. After Kihachiro Onitsuka had explained to him that
Japanese roads are littered with glass and therefore running bare-foot
could be dangerous, Abebe was willing to give the Onitsuka Tiger
trainers a try. Kihachiro Onitsuka hurried back to the factory and gave
his technicians the order to manufacture the world’s lightest pair of
shoes immediately. The next day Abebe Bikila won the marathon. He wore
trainers ever since.
10 Years Of Onitsuka Tiger
In 1958 Kihachiro Onitsuka, who had bought the Tiger brand a year
before, celebrated the 10th anniversary of Onitsuka Tiger in an
astonishing way. He had decided that Onitsuka Tiger should not become a
family-run business, but an employee-run business. He distributed 70
percent of Onitsuka Tiger shares to his employees. Half of the total
capital was handed free of charge to senior employees, in accordance
with their achievements. Twenty percent of the capital was offered to
younger employees for a fee.
A Sound Mind In A Sound Body
Preparing for the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics, GTO – manufacturer of
sportswear and nets, Jelenk ¬– manufacturer of knit wear and Onitsuka
Tiger built a regional sales office together on a piece of land near
Hokkaido. It turned out to be the starting point of a historic merger
that made an old dream of Kihachiro Onitsuka, a complete sporting goods
company, come true. After years of negotiations the deal was finalised
towards the end of 1976. In 1977 GTO, Jelenk and Onitsuka Tiger merged
to form a new, strong and progressive enterprise. To find an appropriate
name for their new company, the founders turned to the Ancient Romans
and found an old Latin phrase: Anima Sana In Corpore Sano (a sound mind
in a sound body). The world of sports welcomed a new, promising name:
ASICS
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