| The Honda Motor Company is a company that is well | | | | work and poor performance would not be tolerated |
| known across the world. You don't have to say what | | | | with the lesson punctuated by Honda throwing tools. |
| industry Honda is in, everyone knows immediately it is | | | | Honda wanted to build an engineering business but |
| cars and motorcycles. This powerful brand all started | | | | knew his own managerial shortcomings, so he |
| with Soichiro Honda born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, | | | | developed Honda Motor Company in 1946 to build |
| Japan in 1906. | | | | small motorcycles. Honda focused on the engineering |
| Soichiro's father was the local blacksmitch but could do | | | | and left the running of the company to Takeo |
| anything with his hands when it was required. Soichiro's | | | | Fujisawa. Their first product was a 98 cc two stroke |
| spirit of adventure and determine to explore and | | | | motorcycle called Dream. |
| development new technology came from his father | | | | Many times Honda Motor Company went through |
| who instilled a hard work ethic and love of mechanical | | | | rocky times because both Honda and Fukisawa were |
| things. Soichiro Honda showed technical ingenuity even | | | | gamblers, in that they knew expansion would only |
| in childhood by crafting forged family seal stamps and | | | | happened with risk. Honda stated that without |
| making his own toys. | | | | Fukisawa they would have gone bankrupt a long time |
| By 1922 Soichiro Honda was working in a car shop in | | | | ago. Fujisawa stated that without Honda they would |
| Tokyo doing medial tasks but became a trusted | | | | have never become that big. Honda became an |
| mechanic. There he worked on the Art Daimler racing | | | | international name in motorcycles after they embarked |
| car. Making parts for this car taught him invaluable | | | | on the Tourist Trophy race program after a near |
| lessons that would be used later in his career. When | | | | bankruptcy with the flop of the Juno scooter. Five |
| the car raced for the first time and won the trophy, | | | | years later Hondas were racing on the Isle of Man and |
| Soichiro Honda was the mechanic and only 17 years | | | | won the Tourist Trophy two years later. |
| old. Honda continued to work in the mechanic shop | | | | Soichiro enjoyed flying, skiing, hang gliding and ballooning |
| and his experience grew as he worked on Mercedes, | | | | even in his later years. Both Honda and Fujisawa |
| Lincolns and Daimlers. At the age of 21 he opened his | | | | made a pact to never force their sons to join the |
| own auto shop in Hamamatsu. | | | | company but instead let them decide what to do. |
| Soon the employees of Honda learned that sloppy | | | | |