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Kihachiro Onitsuka believed, in the turmoil following the Second World War, that sports must be involved in all areas––lifestyles, society, and business––in the future.
Onitsuka Tiger is a Japanese sports fashion brand started in 1949 by Onitsuka Shōkai (鬼塚商会, Onitsuka Co., Ltd), a sports shoes company founded by Kihachiro Onitsuka . Onitsuka Shōkai changed its name to Onitsuka Co., Ltd. before becoming Asics Corporation in 1977.
Feb 24, 2022 · ASICS' founder, Kihachiro Onitsuka, believed being active creates a better lifestyle. Onitsuka lived to inspire, support and encourage everyone to embrace an active lifestyle. He wanted his brand to be accessible for all sports consumers ranging from beginners to professionals.
Kihachiro ONITSUKA had a eureka moment as he watched steaming hot water wrinkle his toes in the bath. Onitsuka had been shown blister-promoting forms by a university medical professor, and he realized that heat causes running blisters.
After returning home from the war in 1945, Mr. Kihachiro Onitsuka establishes ONITSUKA Shokai in Kobe in 1949. In the same year, the company is reorganized as ONITSUKA Co., Ltd. with two employees and a capitalization of 300,000 yen.
Learn more about ASICS history since September 1, 1949: the story of how our founder Mr. Kihachiro Onitsuka, grew the company from a basketball shoe maker in his home town—Kobe, Japan to the international sports company of today.
Whose tentacle got stuck to a salad bowl served to Kihachiro Onitsuka. And became the inspiration for Onitsuka Tiger's breakthrough sports shoe innovation: the suction cup sole on the 1951 OK BASKETBALL SHOE.
