The Birth of Onitsuka Cool

Onitsuka Tiger is clearly one of the hippest sportstyle shoe brands in the world. What's fascinating is that the company did not set out to achieve that status.

Originally, Onitsuka Tiger was one of the pioneers of engineering shoes specifically for optimal athletic performance. Japanese entrepreneur Kihachiro Onitsuka founded the company in 1949 with an altruistic mission in mind. After the atomic destruction of two major Japanese cities in World War II, that nation's youth was severely traumatised. Onitsuka was compelled to use sport as a vehicle to infuse Japan's surviving youth with a sense of vitality and inherent pride. Onitsuka chose the tiger as a emblem, as it was widely recongized as a powerful symbol in Asia.

Onitsuka began crafting and refining shoes for specific sports, such as track, running, martial arts and fencing. With such close attention to the very particular needs of individual sports, it didn't take long for Onitsuka Tiger shoes to catch on with world-class athletes. They became the shoe of choice for many compeititors in Olympic Games by the Sixties. 46 medal winners wore Onitsuka shoes in the 1964 Olympic Games. As highly-visible dominant athletes were noticed to be wearing Onitsuka Tiger shoes, their demand grew among sports enthusiasts and aspiring competitiors. By then, the momentum carried Onitsuka Tiger to the streets.

Yet that was just the beginning. The next post will focus on how one legendary athlete further raised the profile of the Onitsuka Tiger brand.