Asics Sneakers 101: A Brief History of the Asics Shoe Company

Asics sneakers are a popular choice of many runners. In addition to running shoes, the company also designs other types of footwear, apparel and equipment for a variety of sports. While the brand sells fairly well in America, the Asics Corporation is a strong Japanese company. Sales in the Asia Pacific region account for almost half of total product revenues. As the Asics product name becomes more available, consumers will become more familiar with this long-standing company.

On September 1, 1949, the Asics first opened under the name of the Onituska Co., Ltd. Its founder, Kihachiro Onitsuka, was a well respected shoe manufacturer in his hometown of Kobe, Japan. As a small company, they were concerned with selling one product; basketball shoes. Sales grew and the company merged with many other companies but always operated under the Onituska name. While basketball shoes were still manufactured, the Onituska Co., Ltd. expanded into other markets. They wanted to become a preferred shoe supplier for professional athletes. Considering all areas of sports, the company decided to concentrate on creating shoes that could be worn by Olympians.

In July 1977, the Onituska Co., Ltd. merged with GTO Co., Ltd. and Jelenk Co., Ltd. and officially changed its name to the ASICS Corporation. The all capitalization in the name stands for a Latin acronym which refers to having a sound mind in a sound, or healthy body. As a tribute to the former corporation, some Asics sneakers are sold today under the Onituska label and are usually a reproduced sneaker from vintage designs.

While the Asics Company kept merging with other corporations, they also expanded into other markets. Manufacturing plants in Asia allowed for the production of goods to be close to Asics´ Japanese headquarters. Looking to break into other markets, Asics opened branches in Australia to service the Oceania region, the United States and Brazil to service the Americas, and Hong Kong, China and Taiwan to supply the Asia Pacific region. Hoping to become a major shoe manufacturer in the European market, Asics opened offices in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain and Great Britain; all designed to service Western Europe. Finally, Asics also became interested in supplying Eastern European customers; especially since many in the region compete in the Olympics. As a result, they opened branch offices in Russia and Poland.

With their continued interest in the Olympics, Asics was designated as the official apparel sponsor of the 2006 Winter Olympics. While not the official sponsor, Asics outfitted Australian, Dutch, Irish, Italian and South Korean teams at the 2007 World Athletic championships. Today, Asics manufactures shoes and apparel for athletes participating in badminton, cheerleading, cricket, cross-training, football, golf, lacrosse, martial arts, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The company has won numerous shoe awards by Runner´s World Magazine and has a list of them on their company´s website.

Today´s company executives still hold strong founder Kihachiro Onitsuka´s principles. The company strives to provide quality products and services at an exceptional value. Protecting the environment and contributing to the global community is also important. They value long-term relationships and believe in fair profit sharing with company shareholders. As a socially responsible company, Asics believes youth can develop into positive citizens by involvement with sports. Present company executives wish to continue that tradition and help facilitate sports development throughout the world. Asics may be a Japanese company, but their appreciation of sports and a desire to help athletes has yielded many years of successful sales. The Asics Company may have started off small, but has moved from Japan into international markets to become one of the leading shoe and apparel providers for runners and professional athletes.