ASICS

Origins and formation of ASICS

Kihachiro Onitsuka established Onitsuka Shokai in Kobe in 1949. In the same year, the business was reorganized as Onitsuka Co., Ltd., initially with two employees. The company's official founding date is September 1, 1949. Onitsuka began by developing basketball shoes, releasing its first model in 1950, and subsequently expanded into footwear for running, wrestling, volleyball and other sports.

In 1966, Onitsuka introduced the crossed-stripe design known as the Mexico Line, which later became a visual identifier of Onitsuka Tiger and Asics footwear. Onitsuka became particularly known for the Mexico 66 design, and martial artist Bruce Lee helped popularize the company's footwear internationally.

During the 1960s, Onitsuka developed a U.S. distribution relationship with Blue Ribbon Sports, the company founded by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman that later became Nike, Inc. In 1969, Onitsuka introduced the Cortez training shoe for the U.S. market; the related Onitsuka model was later marketed as the Tiger Corsair.

Onitsuka expanded its overseas operations during the 1970s. In 1975 it established Onitsuka Tiger GmbH in Düsseldorf, West Germany, as its European base. On July 21, 1977, Onitsuka Co., Ltd., fishing and sporting-goods company GTO Co., Ltd., and sportswear manufacturer Jelenk Co., Ltd. merged on an equal basis to form ASICS Corporation. Kihachiro Onitsuka became president of the new company. The ASICS and ASICS Tiger brands were introduced at the time of the merger, and the company broadened its position in the running market with models including the Montreal II and Enduro.

International expansion and diversification