The Amazing Story Of Soichiro Honda

Most people have probably never heard of the Soichiro Honda. But there are not many in the world who have never heard of the brand “Honda”. Soichiro is the founder of the world-famous company. His story, in addition to working as a businessman, is a fantastic tale of a struggle to overcome difficulties.

Soichiro Honda was born into a very humble family living in the small Japanese province of Komyo. The 20th century had just begun. The small town got its first car when he was still young. It was a Ford. The sight of the car fascinated Soichiro incredibly much. 

It was amazing for him to see how many things this great machine could do. That day started his dream of creating his own car.

As a 15-year-old, Soichiro Honda moved to Tokyo and got a job at a factory. He got on well with his boss and had a great passion for his work right from day one. One day, the factory manager said that Honda could take some aircraft parts that were at the factory and build a race car from them.

The beginning of the legend of the Soichiro Honda

Building a car was Honda’s biggest dream. Therefore, he did not hesitate a second when his boss suggested the idea. With a combination of industrial and manual techniques, he built his first model. He also built most of the parts on his own. He carved the spokes in the wooden wheels with his own two hands.

This is how the model “Curtiss” was created. It was an amazing car they sent to races right away. In 1924, it actually won the Japanese championship. At the time, the Soichiro Honda was still only 18 years old.

Nor did he appear merely as a passionate and tenacious mechanic. He also drove the car. Here he was also skilled. He set a speed record by reaching 120 km / h, and it was a record that stood in Japan for 20 years.

The path of perseverance

When Soichiro Honda was 21 years old, he decided to return to his hometown. He had been working at the factory for six years and he was ready to take the next step. The following year he started his own company: “Toukai Precision Machine Company”. The company was to manufacture car parts, especially compression rings.

The story goes that it took a lot of him to get the parts designed. However, he persevered and had them manufactured in an excellent quality. They were so good that the car manufacturer Toyota became a customer. It was their business that kept him afloat for many years.

When he was younger, Honda hated studying. He talked about that if knowledge made you creative, all teachers in the world would be inventors. 

As the years passed, however, he began to see education as a way to grow. He decided to start at Hamamatsu Technical School but they threw him out. He refused to attend the final exam as he could not see the point of it.

A survivor

Soichiro Honda experienced both world wars as well as the military conflicts between China and Japan. The aftermath of World War II left the country totally devastated and demoralized. Honda lost everything he had built, due to the bombings.

There he decided to take a year off. He built a whiskey distillery in his house, and  during that year he made nothing but make whiskey for himself and his friends. 

He probably also spent the time figuring out what his next move should be, because he had lost everything. His plans must have been very clever, for after that year his success began.

In 1946, Honda founded a new business, the  Honda Technical Research Institute . There were virtually no car fleets in Japan, so he began to focus on making motorcycles, which was cheaper and more usable under the new circumstances.

He made the right choice. He manufactured a light engine that made much less noise than the others. This paved the way for his success.

In 1973, Soichiro stopped working in his own company. He created the “Honda Foundation”, which was to help protect the environment. From that year on, he devoted all his energies to that work. He died in August 1991, but not before he had been recognized as the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world.