Japanese motorcycle manufacturers had a dramatic effect on the world of two wheeled transportation. From humble beginnings, the big four (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki) came to dominate the motorcycle world. Amongst the big four, Honda stands out as the market leader in almost every class or machine type.

The success of the Honda Motor Corporation was not an overnight one; rather, it took determination, hard work and considerable effort.

The man responsible for the company, Soichiro Honda was born in 1906, in Komyo Village (now Tenryu City), Iwata County, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan the son of a Gihei Honda.

Mechanical Skills

Gihei Honda had a business repairing bicycles and it was in this business that the young Soichiro learned his basic mechanical skills and to a certain extent his business acumen. However, one of the biggest influences on Soichiro was Yuzo Sakakibara the owner of a company called Art Shokai.

The Art Shokai company (based in Yushima area of Hongo, Tokyo) specialized in the manufacture and repair of early automobiles, motorcycles and gasoline engines. After applying by letter to the company, Soichiro Honda was offered an apprenticeship.

Sakakibara’s company was involved in motorsports and encouraged the young apprentice to develop an interest. From his hands-on experience at Art Shokai, to reading detailed reports of races from such faraway places as the IOM TT in Japanese motoring magazines, Soichiro was building a knowledge base that would serve him, and ultimately the Honda company, well in the years to come.

Branch Manager

At the age of twenty, Soichiro was called up for his compulsory military service. Upon examination he was found to be color blind which precluded him from any further military service. A year later Soichiro opened another branch of Art Shokai in Hamamatsu; this move shows the trust his employers had in Soichiro, as he was the only employee ever to be granted this much autonomy.

Working at the new branch gave Soichiro some freedom, something he used to good effect by inventing things; according to the official Honda web site, his exploits brought him the nickname “the Edison of Hamamatsu.”

In 1936, Soichiro Honda began to develop plans to begin manufacturing. Having met with resistance from the owners of Art Shokai for these plans, Soichiro approached an acquaintance by name of Shichiro Kato who agreed to work with him on a new company known as Tokai Seiki Heavy Industry, or Tokai Seiki for short.

Soichiro continued working for Art Shokai in the day, but worked in the evenings for the new company developing piston rings. After a number of prototype failures, Soichiro enrolled part time at Hamamatsu Industrial Institute (now the Faculty of Engineering at Shizuoka University) with a view to expanding his knowledge of metallurgy. Two years later trials of a new range of piston rings proved successful and Soichiro joined the company full time as president.

As with many manufacturers of this time, the Second World War had a major effect on their businesses. The Tokai Seiki company was placed under the control of the Ministry of Munitions in 1941 and followed in 1942 by Toyota taking 40% of the company’s equity.

Automated Production Development

As the war dragged on, many of the male employees left the company to do military service. To maintain production, adult women and female students were brought into the company to operate the machinery. To ensure safety and quality, Soichiro calibrated and set-up the various machines himself, this whole experience leading to Soichiro developing automated production of piston rings.

Interestingly, Kaichi Kawakami, President of Nippon Gakki (now Yamaha) commissioned Soichiro to develop an automated manufacturing system for aircraft propellers. The result was so successful that a new wooden propeller could be produced every fifteen minutes, compared to a week it took previously.

As Japan began to lose the war, many of its manufacturing plants were targeted by allied bombers. These raids and a major earth quake in January 1945 destroyed the Iwata plant.

After the war, in 1948, Soichiro formed the Honda Motor Co. A year later, Takeo Fujisawa (a Japanese businessman with experience in sales and metals) was appointed managing director. Later that same year, the company doubled its capital position (to Y2 million) with Fujisawa investing approximately 25%.

The working relationship between Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa proved to be formidable and between them they took the company to the international conglomerate it is today.

Further Reading:

The Honda Story: Road And Racing Motorcycles From 1948 To The Present Day [Hardcover]

By Ian Falloon

Hardcover: 224 pages

Publisher: Haynes Publishing; 1st edition (June 24, 2005)

ISBN-10: 185960966X

ISBN-13: 978-1859609668