ASICS HISTORY
In 1949, half a century since Onitsuka was founded, ASICS became a major sports equipment manufacturer focusing on competition shoes for a quarter of a century. It also manufactures, sells, and imports various sports shoes, uniforms, outdoor equipment, etc. It has strengths in sports shoes, and has a high brand power especially in marathon competitions and volleyball.
KING GEAR Editorial Department
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2016/05/18
In September 1949, Kihachiro Onizuka, who was working as an office worker at a trading company, established Onizuka Co., Ltd., a shoe wholesaler, in Kobe. Utilizing the technical know-how he learned about sports shoes in the Nagata area of Kobe, he began making shoes himself.
The foundation for development was basketball shoes. When the basketball shoes that will become the company's first competitive sports shoes are born the year after its foundation, in 1953, founder · Kihachiro Onitsuka stated that "An octopus vinegared sauce was invented" and the anecdotal story "Suction cup type basketball shoes Developed. The memorial product of the Melbourne / Olympic Games, which was later improved, gained 84% of the share at the school basketball competition during the year.
Marathon shoes "Magic runner" (released in 1959), which opens small holes in the details of the shoes to cool the temperature inside the shoes
Onitsuka that continues to develop with creative shoes, released the first soccer shoes in 1962. This was a cloth model with 3 raised studs on the heel and 4 raised studs on the stepping part.
In the autumn of that year, an unexpected person visits the Onitsuka head office in Kobe. The man's name is Philip (Phil) Night. Knight who will later establish "Nike" was impressed with the quality of Onitsuka products during his stay in Japan and visited Onitsuka headquarters to install surrogate sales in his home country USA. After returning home he founded Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS), a distributor of Onitsuka products in the USA. I made a foothold of Nike brand development (71 years).
In time for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Onitsuka created the Supermarap, a marathon shoe with an emphasis on fit, in a development project they called ``Summit Strategy.'' Many athletes wearing Onitsuka products participated in the Tokyo Olympics, and Onitsuka's name became known around the world.
In 1974, the Bomber 55, beloved as a standard spike for soccer boys, was born. The upper part is made of canvas and artificial leather. The rubber sole, a staple of the Bomber series, has a fully polished finish. The high-end Bomber 77 has a sponge heel pad and insole.
Birth of ASICS
In 1977, Onitsuka Corporation aspired to become a comprehensive sports goods manufacturer and merged with GITIO Co., Ltd., a sportswear and equipment manufacturer, and Gerenc Co., Ltd., a sportswear manufacturer. The new company name ``ASICS'' is derived from the initials of the words ``Anima Sana In Corpore Sano'' by the ancient Roman satirist Juvenalis, which has been our motto since our founding. I took it.
In 1980, the new ``Chapet TX-I'' in the ``Chapet'' stud replaceable spike series was released. This product, which is the company's first two-tone model with a resin sole, is the result of painstaking efforts through repeated trial and error. Every detail has been carefully designed, including the deformation of the hard sponge in the heel.
I was stuck with it.
In 1990, the ASICS Sports Engineering Research Institute was completed in Kobe as a base for research and development. Research and development based on ergonomics at the same facility has contributed to improving the functionality of ASICS cleats, which have been chosen by the genius batter Ichiro as his main cleats for many years.
In 2005, the ``DS LIGHT2'' was released in additional colors, which was favored by Shinji Ono. Equipped with a discrete sole that has enhanced durability, grip, and rigidity, these spikes further propelled the company's soccer business.
