Category: ASICS

The history of ASICS Sneakers

The Onitsuka Tiger and ASICS story began in 1949 when Kihachiro Onitsuka (the man behind the brand) created Onitsuka Co. In 1945, Kihachiro was demobilized from the war and then worked at a trading company in Kobe for 3 years. He then decided to form his own company and to make sneakers for school children, because there was a shortage of shoes at the time. In September 1949, he founded Onitsuka Co., Ltd. with a capital of 300,000 and four employees. Kihachiro was inspired by his brother-in-arms Kohei Hori’s words: “If you pray to God, you must pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body” (a Latin phrase ‘Anima Sana in Corpore Sano’). These words left a great impression on Kihachiro and became the motivating force to create sneakers that could promote healthy youth through sports. Later, Kihachiro used this phrase as an ASICS acronym.

ASICS today

Today, it’s still a Japanese company and one of the five largest producers of sports equipment in the world. Since its foundation in 1949, together with scientists, athletes, and coaches, ASICS has been constantly developing new sports equipment. In 2017, the company made a small rebranding and changed its name to Asics Tiger. Here on Nothing But Soles, you can find a photo of every ASICS model ever made. Also, we add links to shops where you can buy your favorite pair. So, take a look at our collection of sneakers. Of course, we are not limiting ourselves just to one brand, so take a look at other sneaker categories too!