He father Gihei was a blacksmith. Form the time he was a small child, Soichiro was always around his father, observing him at work. At the tender age so 15, he began an apprenticeship as a mechanic in Tokyo. Since he was diligent and industrious, he mastered all the techniques of auto repair in four years.
At 21 years of age he opened his own repair shop. He then moved into manufacture, starting with an initially unsuccessful venture in making position rings – he lacked necessary knowledge. Honda’s love of cars extended to racing them, and he set a new record speed record in 1936.
He then developed his own design of piston ring in 1938 and won the contract with Toyota. However during World War 2, his entire piston manufacturing facilities was destroyed. Then he started a new company and attached the engine to the bicycle which cheaper and efficient.
In October 1946, after the end of the war, Soichiro established the Honda Technical Research Institute the forerunner of the Honda Motor Company in the city of Hamamatsu.
The organization’s main project was refitting small wartime surplus engines to bicycles. This project soon led Soichiro to manufacture his own motorcycle.
In 1948, Soichiro teamed up with Takeo Fujisawa, an investor and businessman to launch the Honda Motor Company, with Soichiro as the president. Soichiro retained responsibility for engineering, while Fujisawa dealt with marketing and sales.
Soichiro Honda – Japanese engineer and industrialist
