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 Soichiro Honda was an extraordinary man: both an imaginative dreamer and a down to earth engineer. A colourful non-conformist, he could sometimes be stubborn but was always humane and considerate. The eldest son of a blacksmith, Soichiro was born at Komyo, near Hamamatsu, on November 17 1906.
His interest in all forms of machinery was kindled at his father's small workshop where Soichiro helped with bicycle repairs. At the age of eight he first sighted a car that fired his imagination, then, and as a young man he built a series of racing cars, being lucky to escape serious injury when he crashed one spectacularly in 1936.
In the following year, Soichiro set up a piston ring factory, responding to technical snags he encountered by studying metallurgy. In 1946 he set up the Honda Technical Research Institute, which despite its grand name was only a wooden hut. Seeing a desperate need for basic transport all around him in war-scarred Japan, he hit on a scheme. Buying a batch of 500 surplus engines designed to power military radio sets, Soichiro gathered a team to help him attach them to pedal cycles.
Honda's own-made products duly followed and the Honda Motor Co. was established in 1948. During the 1950s, its founder's creative genius propagated a stream of innovative designs making Honda the world leader in motorcycle engineering within an amazingly short time. Awed by the Isle of Man TT when he first visited Europe in 1954, Soichiro made racing success a goal, knowing it could greatly benefit Honda.
Affectionately known to his work force as 'Oyaji' ('Dad'), Honda inspired people to use their imagination and give their best. He was willing to put trust in young people and give full rein to their creativity. Believing that people should advance on merit and not through nepotism, Mr. Honda refused to put relatives in senior posts, and when he retired in 1973 he put the company in the capable hands of Kiyoshi Kawashima.
Soichiro then devoted himself to the Honda Foundation, seeking harmony between technology and the environment. Having fulfilled countless dreams over half a century, he died in 1991 leaving his wife Sachi, a son and two daughters.
Let's all take a moment to think about and thank this great man who's ideas are still a vital part of our everyday lives. |
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Emerson Web
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