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{{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| name | | name = Soichiro Honda | ||
| native_name | | native_name = 本田 宗一郎 | ||
| native_name_lang | | native_name_lang = ja | ||
| image | | image = Soichiro_Honda.jpg | ||
| image_size | | image_size = 300px | ||
| caption | | caption = Soichiro Honda in the 1980s | ||
| birth_date | | birth_date = {{Birth date|1906|11|17}} | ||
| birth_place | | birth_place = Komyo Village (now [[Tenryu, Shizuoka|Tenryu]]), [[Shizuoka Prefecture]], Japan | ||
| death_date | | death_date = August 5, 1991 | ||
| death_place | | death_place = [[Tokyo]], Japan | ||
| nationality | | nationality = {{JPN}} Japanese | ||
| education | | education = Self-taught engineer; part-time studies at Hamamatsu Technical High School | ||
| occupation | | alma_mater = Self-educated engineer | ||
| years_active | | occupation = Engineer, industrialist, entrepreneur | ||
| known_for | | years_active = 1928-1973 | ||
| title | | known_for = Founding [[Honda|Honda Motor Co.]], racing, over 100 patents | ||
| organization | | title = Founder and President | ||
| spouse | | organization = [[Honda|Honda Motor Co., Ltd.]] | ||
| children | | spouse = Sachi Honda (m. 1935) | ||
| parents | | net_worth = | spouse = Sachi Honda (m. 1935) | ||
| awards | billion (at death, 1991) | ||
| children = 3 (Hirotoshi, Hiroshi, plus one daughter) | |||
| parents = Gihei Honda (father)<br>Mika Honda (mother) | |||
| awards = [[Order of the Rising Sun|Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun]] (posthumous)<br>[[Order of the Sacred Treasure]], First Class<br>[[Automotive Hall of Fame]] (1989) | |||
}} | }} | ||
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Honda was born on November 17, 1906, in Komyo Village (now [[Tenryu, Shizuoka|Tenryu City]]), in [[Shizuoka Prefecture]], as the eldest son of Gihei Honda and his wife Mika. His father was the village blacksmith who could turn his hands to most trades, including dentistry when the need arose. His mother was a weaver. The family was not wealthy, but Gihei Honda instilled in his children a strong work ethic and a love of mechanical things.<ref name="newworld">{{cite web |url=https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Soichiro_Honda |title=Soichiro Honda |publisher=New World Encyclopedia |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | Honda was born on November 17, 1906, in Komyo Village (now [[Tenryu, Shizuoka|Tenryu City]]), in [[Shizuoka Prefecture]], as the eldest son of Gihei Honda and his wife Mika. His father was the village blacksmith who could turn his hands to most trades, including dentistry when the need arose. His mother was a weaver. The family was not wealthy, but Gihei Honda instilled in his children a strong work ethic and a love of mechanical things.<ref name="newworld">{{cite web |url=https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Soichiro_Honda |title=Soichiro Honda |publisher=New World Encyclopedia |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | ||
Young Honda spent his early childhood helping his father repair bicycles. In 1914, at age eight, he saw an automobile for the first time. For the rest of his life, Honda said he never forgot running after that | Young Honda spent his early childhood helping his father repair bicycles. In 1914, at age eight, he saw an automobile for the first time. For the rest of his life, Honda said he never forgot running after that motorcar - the experience cemented his fascination with machinery.<ref name="interestingeng">{{cite web |url=https://interestingengineering.com/culture/soichiro-honda-the-founder-of-honda-and-the-legend |title=Soichiro Honda: The Founder of Honda and The Legend |publisher=Interesting Engineering |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | ||
Honda showed little interest in traditional education. When his school required that grade reports be returned with the family seal to confirm parental review, young Honda forged his family seal using a rubber bicycle pedal cover. On another occasion, he borrowed one of his father's bicycles to see a demonstration by American pilot Art Smith, further cementing his love for machinery and invention.<ref name="wiki"/> | Honda showed little interest in traditional education. When his school required that grade reports be returned with the family seal to confirm parental review, young Honda forged his family seal using a rubber bicycle pedal cover. On another occasion, he borrowed one of his father's bicycles to see a demonstration by American pilot Art Smith, further cementing his love for machinery and invention.<ref name="wiki"/> | ||
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In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, Honda became interested in developing piston rings for automobiles. His plan was to develop a superior piston ring design and sell it to [[Toyota]], which was already a major company. Honda worked day and night in his workshop, often sleeping there. When he ran out of working capital, he pawned his wife's jewelry to continue.<ref name="motivation">{{cite web |url=https://stunningmotivation.com/soichiro-hondas-success-story/ |title=Soichiro Honda's Success Story Will Inspire You To Not Give Up |publisher=Stunning Motivation |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, Honda became interested in developing piston rings for automobiles. His plan was to develop a superior piston ring design and sell it to [[Toyota]], which was already a major company. Honda worked day and night in his workshop, often sleeping there. When he ran out of working capital, he pawned his wife's jewelry to continue.<ref name="motivation">{{cite web |url=https://stunningmotivation.com/soichiro-hondas-success-story/ |title=Soichiro Honda's Success Story Will Inspire You To Not Give Up |publisher=Stunning Motivation |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | ||
When Honda finally completed his piston ring design and presented it to Toyota, he was rejected. Toyota told him his design did not meet their | When Honda finally completed his piston ring design and presented it to Toyota, he was rejected. Toyota told him his design did not meet their standards - of fifty piston rings he submitted for quality control, only three passed. Honda was ridiculed, but refused to give up.<ref name="motivation"/> | ||
The chief difficulty was that Honda lacked formal engineering education and had no knowledge of metallurgy. His attempts at | The chief difficulty was that Honda lacked formal engineering education and had no knowledge of metallurgy. His attempts at diecasting - pouring molten metal into a mold - repeatedly failed. Forced to recognize the importance of systematic study, Honda enrolled part-time at Hamamatsu Technical High School and spent two years studying engineering. He visited universities and steelmaking companies throughout Japan to learn manufacturing techniques. Professors found that his piston rings lacked sufficient silicon to expand properly inside cylinders.<ref name="asme"/> | ||
After two more years of redesign, Honda finally won a contract with Toyota. To fulfill the contract, he needed to build a factory, but building materials were scarce in wartime Japan. He invented a new concrete-making process to construct his facility. With the factory built and production underway, Honda seemed poised for | After two more years of redesign, Honda finally won a contract with Toyota. To fulfill the contract, he needed to build a factory, but building materials were scarce in wartime Japan. He invented a new concrete-making process to construct his facility. With the factory built and production underway, Honda seemed poised for success - until American B-29 bombers destroyed his piston ring plants in late 1944. Though he salvaged much of the equipment and sold his remaining business to Toyota after the war, his career as a piston ring maker was over.<ref name="asme"/> | ||
=== Founding Honda Motor Company === | === Founding Honda Motor Company === | ||
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In March 1954, Honda made a dramatic announcement: he would enter the [[Isle of Man TT]], the world's most prestigious motorcycle road race. "I pledge with you all to strive with all my soul and ingenuity to enter and win the TT Race," he declared. In 1953, on a machine-tool shopping expedition to the UK, he had attended the TT races and was shocked by how far behind Japanese technology lagged. Where he had planned to produce 100 horsepower per litre, European racers were achieving 150.<ref name="honda-60years">{{cite web |url=https://www.honda.co.uk/engineroom/bikes/60-years-of-honda-racing/ |title=60 Years of Honda Racing |publisher=Honda UK |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | In March 1954, Honda made a dramatic announcement: he would enter the [[Isle of Man TT]], the world's most prestigious motorcycle road race. "I pledge with you all to strive with all my soul and ingenuity to enter and win the TT Race," he declared. In 1953, on a machine-tool shopping expedition to the UK, he had attended the TT races and was shocked by how far behind Japanese technology lagged. Where he had planned to produce 100 horsepower per litre, European racers were achieving 150.<ref name="honda-60years">{{cite web |url=https://www.honda.co.uk/engineroom/bikes/60-years-of-honda-racing/ |title=60 Years of Honda Racing |publisher=Honda UK |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | ||
Honda's motorcycles debuted at the 1959 Isle of Man TT, placing 6th, 7th, 8th, and 11th in the 125cc Lightweight | Honda's motorcycles debuted at the 1959 Isle of Man TT, placing 6th, 7th, 8th, and 11th in the 125cc Lightweight Class - earning Honda the Manufacturer's prize. By 1961, Honda bikes claimed the top five positions in two classes, establishing the company as a dominant force in world motorsport.<ref name="honda-60years"/> | ||
The company entered [[Formula One]] in 1964 with the RA271, a car with both engine and chassis developed entirely in-house. Just 15 months after its debut, the RA272 won the 1965 Mexican Grand | The company entered [[Formula One]] in 1964 with the RA271, a car with both engine and chassis developed entirely in-house. Just 15 months after its debut, the RA272 won the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix - Honda's first F1 victory. Though Honda temporarily withdrew from F1 after 1968 to focus on passenger cars, the company returned in 1983 as an engine supplier. Honda engines would power drivers [[Ayrton Senna]] and [[Alain Prost]] to four World Championships between 1988 and 1991.<ref name="f1entry">{{cite web |url=https://global.honda/en/heritage/episodes/1964formulaoneentry.html |title=Formula One Entry: The Initial Phase - 1964 |publisher=Honda Global |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | ||
=== Air-cooled engine controversy === | === Air-cooled engine controversy === | ||
By the 1970s, Honda's iron grip on company decisions began to reveal weaknesses. He obstinately insisted, against strong opposition from his engineers, that air-cooled | By the 1970s, Honda's iron grip on company decisions began to reveal weaknesses. He obstinately insisted, against strong opposition from his engineers, that air-cooled engines - not water-cooled - held the future for automobiles. This position threatened to set the company back as new emissions requirements made water-cooling increasingly necessary.<ref name="nippon">{{cite web |url=https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g00635/honda-soichiro-from-mechanic-to-visionary-auto-magnate.html |title=Honda Sōichirō: From Mechanic to Visionary Auto Magnate |publisher=Nippon.com |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | ||
The crisis came to a head when senior engineers held a meeting in Atami to discuss their concerns. Fujisawa agreed to present their case to Honda. Over dinner, Fujisawa laid out the engineers' arguments, but Honda dismissed them: "The same things can be achieved with an air-cooled engine, but I guess that's difficult for a man like you to understand."<ref name="driventowrite">{{cite web |url=https://driventowrite.com/2023/11/02/no-one-knows-you-but-the-rain-and-the-air-hondas-even-more-forgotten-failure/ |title=The Honda 145, an Even More Forgotten Failure |publisher=Driven to Write |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | The crisis came to a head when senior engineers held a meeting in Atami to discuss their concerns. Fujisawa agreed to present their case to Honda. Over dinner, Fujisawa laid out the engineers' arguments, but Honda dismissed them: "The same things can be achieved with an air-cooled engine, but I guess that's difficult for a man like you to understand."<ref name="driventowrite">{{cite web |url=https://driventowrite.com/2023/11/02/no-one-knows-you-but-the-rain-and-the-air-hondas-even-more-forgotten-failure/ |title=The Honda 145, an Even More Forgotten Failure |publisher=Driven to Write |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | ||
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=== Retirement === | === Retirement === | ||
In 1973, both Honda and Fujisawa announced their | In 1973, both Honda and Fujisawa announced their retirement - Honda at 65 and Fujisawa at 61. Their joint departure created a sensation. When Honda learned of Fujisawa's decision to retire, he said, "I can't be the president without Takeo Fujisawa. If the executive vice-president is quitting, then I'll quit with him."<ref name="retirement">{{cite web |url=https://global.honda/en/heritage/episodes/1973companyleaders.html |title=Company Leaders Honda and Fujisawa Retire |publisher=Honda Global |access-date=December 4, 2025}}</ref> | ||
When asked about succession, both men famously declared they had no intention of passing the company to their sons. Honda explained: "If the company belonged to the family, who would have the motivation to work for the company?" This philosophy distinguished Honda Motor Company from the family dynasties typical of Japanese business.<ref name="retirement"/> | When asked about succession, both men famously declared they had no intention of passing the company to their sons. Honda explained: "If the company belonged to the family, who would have the motivation to work for the company?" This philosophy distinguished Honda Motor Company from the family dynasties typical of Japanese business.<ref name="retirement"/> | ||
| Line 85: | Line 88: | ||
=== Autocratic management style === | === Autocratic management style === | ||
Honda was notorious for his harsh treatment of employees, particularly in the company's early years. One frequently cited anecdote describes a young worker who had not properly tightened a bolt. When Honda checked the work himself and the bolt made a few more turns, he reportedly shouted, "You damned fool! This is how you're supposed to tighten bolts!" and struck the employee over the head with a wrench. Such | Honda was notorious for his harsh treatment of employees, particularly in the company's early years. One frequently cited anecdote describes a young worker who had not properly tightened a bolt. When Honda checked the work himself and the bolt made a few more turns, he reportedly shouted, "You damned fool! This is how you're supposed to tighten bolts!" and struck the employee over the head with a wrench. Such direct - and sometimes violent - intervention was far from the consensus-oriented image of Japanese management known in the West.<ref name="nippon"/> | ||
In his later years, Honda's autocratic style increasingly chafed younger workers, and he struggled to keep pace with technological innovation. The air-cooled engine controversy demonstrated how his stubbornness could threaten the company's future, requiring his longtime partner Fujisawa to force a confrontation.<ref name="nippon"/> | In his later years, Honda's autocratic style increasingly chafed younger workers, and he struggled to keep pace with technological innovation. The air-cooled engine controversy demonstrated how his stubbornness could threaten the company's future, requiring his longtime partner Fujisawa to force a confrontation.<ref name="nippon"/> | ||
Latest revision as of 07:54, 22 December 2025
Soichiro Honda (本田 宗一郎, Honda Sōichirō) was a Japanese engineer and industrialist who founded Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in 1948, transforming a small workshop producing motorized bicycles into one of the world's largest automobile and motorcycle manufacturers. With more than 100 patents to his name, Honda pioneered new engine designs that made Honda Motor Company the world's leading motorcycle manufacturer and a major force in the global automotive industry.[1]
People magazine placed Honda on their "25 Most Intriguing People of the Year" list for 1980, dubbing him "the Japanese Henry Ford."[2]
Honda famously summarized his philosophy: "Success can only be achieved through repeated failure and introspection. In fact, success represents the 1% of your work which results from the 99% that is called failure."[3]
Early life and education
Honda was born on November 17, 1906, in Komyo Village (now Tenryu City), in Shizuoka Prefecture, as the eldest son of Gihei Honda and his wife Mika. His father was the village blacksmith who could turn his hands to most trades, including dentistry when the need arose. His mother was a weaver. The family was not wealthy, but Gihei Honda instilled in his children a strong work ethic and a love of mechanical things.[4]
Young Honda spent his early childhood helping his father repair bicycles. In 1914, at age eight, he saw an automobile for the first time. For the rest of his life, Honda said he never forgot running after that motorcar - the experience cemented his fascination with machinery.[5]
Honda showed little interest in traditional education. When his school required that grade reports be returned with the family seal to confirm parental review, young Honda forged his family seal using a rubber bicycle pedal cover. On another occasion, he borrowed one of his father's bicycles to see a demonstration by American pilot Art Smith, further cementing his love for machinery and invention.[1]
At age 15, without completing his formal education, Honda left home for Tokyo to seek work. In 1922, he obtained an apprenticeship at a garage called Art Shokai. After some initial hesitation about whether to keep him, the garage retained Honda for six years. He worked as a car mechanic before returning to his hometown in 1928 to start his own auto repair business at age 22.[1]
Career
Piston ring venture and Toyota rejection
In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, Honda became interested in developing piston rings for automobiles. His plan was to develop a superior piston ring design and sell it to Toyota, which was already a major company. Honda worked day and night in his workshop, often sleeping there. When he ran out of working capital, he pawned his wife's jewelry to continue.[6]
When Honda finally completed his piston ring design and presented it to Toyota, he was rejected. Toyota told him his design did not meet their standards - of fifty piston rings he submitted for quality control, only three passed. Honda was ridiculed, but refused to give up.[6]
The chief difficulty was that Honda lacked formal engineering education and had no knowledge of metallurgy. His attempts at diecasting - pouring molten metal into a mold - repeatedly failed. Forced to recognize the importance of systematic study, Honda enrolled part-time at Hamamatsu Technical High School and spent two years studying engineering. He visited universities and steelmaking companies throughout Japan to learn manufacturing techniques. Professors found that his piston rings lacked sufficient silicon to expand properly inside cylinders.[3]
After two more years of redesign, Honda finally won a contract with Toyota. To fulfill the contract, he needed to build a factory, but building materials were scarce in wartime Japan. He invented a new concrete-making process to construct his facility. With the factory built and production underway, Honda seemed poised for success - until American B-29 bombers destroyed his piston ring plants in late 1944. Though he salvaged much of the equipment and sold his remaining business to Toyota after the war, his career as a piston ring maker was over.[3]
Founding Honda Motor Company
In 1946, Honda established the Honda Technical Research Institute to develop small engines. Using surplus military generator engines, he created motorized bicycles to meet Japan's desperate post-war need for cheap transportation. In 1948, with the last of his savings, he formally incorporated Honda Motor Co., Ltd.[1]
In 1949, Honda met Takeo Fujisawa, a businessman with complementary skills in finance and marketing. Their partnership would prove legendary: Honda handled engineering and product development while Fujisawa managed business operations. As one observer noted, "Soichiro Honda did the making and Takeo Fujisawa did the selling. These two powerful personalities, neither of whom could manage without the other, made a perfect combination."[7]
Racing ambitions
Honda's personal racing career was brief but formative. In 1936, he and his brother Benjiro built a turbocharged four-cylinder Ford for the All Japan Automobile Speed Racing Championship. They held a commanding lead until the final lap, when a car exiting the pits forced Honda to swerve. His car flipped, and Benjiro was ejected, suffering serious injuries that required six months of hospitalization. Though Honda ended his own racing career after the crash, his passion for motorsports never diminished.[8]
In March 1954, Honda made a dramatic announcement: he would enter the Isle of Man TT, the world's most prestigious motorcycle road race. "I pledge with you all to strive with all my soul and ingenuity to enter and win the TT Race," he declared. In 1953, on a machine-tool shopping expedition to the UK, he had attended the TT races and was shocked by how far behind Japanese technology lagged. Where he had planned to produce 100 horsepower per litre, European racers were achieving 150.[9]
Honda's motorcycles debuted at the 1959 Isle of Man TT, placing 6th, 7th, 8th, and 11th in the 125cc Lightweight Class - earning Honda the Manufacturer's prize. By 1961, Honda bikes claimed the top five positions in two classes, establishing the company as a dominant force in world motorsport.[9]
The company entered Formula One in 1964 with the RA271, a car with both engine and chassis developed entirely in-house. Just 15 months after its debut, the RA272 won the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix - Honda's first F1 victory. Though Honda temporarily withdrew from F1 after 1968 to focus on passenger cars, the company returned in 1983 as an engine supplier. Honda engines would power drivers Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost to four World Championships between 1988 and 1991.[10]
Air-cooled engine controversy
By the 1970s, Honda's iron grip on company decisions began to reveal weaknesses. He obstinately insisted, against strong opposition from his engineers, that air-cooled engines - not water-cooled - held the future for automobiles. This position threatened to set the company back as new emissions requirements made water-cooling increasingly necessary.[11]
The crisis came to a head when senior engineers held a meeting in Atami to discuss their concerns. Fujisawa agreed to present their case to Honda. Over dinner, Fujisawa laid out the engineers' arguments, but Honda dismissed them: "The same things can be achieved with an air-cooled engine, but I guess that's difficult for a man like you to understand."[12]
Fujisawa delivered an ultimatum: "You can continue to serve as President of our company, or you can join the engineers at Honda Motor." Honda replied, "I'm sure I should continue to be president." Fujisawa pressed: "Then you will permit our engineers to work on water-cooled engines?" Honda relented, and the company moved forward with water-cooled technology.[12]
Retirement
In 1973, both Honda and Fujisawa announced their retirement - Honda at 65 and Fujisawa at 61. Their joint departure created a sensation. When Honda learned of Fujisawa's decision to retire, he said, "I can't be the president without Takeo Fujisawa. If the executive vice-president is quitting, then I'll quit with him."[13]
When asked about succession, both men famously declared they had no intention of passing the company to their sons. Honda explained: "If the company belonged to the family, who would have the motivation to work for the company?" This philosophy distinguished Honda Motor Company from the family dynasties typical of Japanese business.[13]
Controversies
Autocratic management style
Honda was notorious for his harsh treatment of employees, particularly in the company's early years. One frequently cited anecdote describes a young worker who had not properly tightened a bolt. When Honda checked the work himself and the bolt made a few more turns, he reportedly shouted, "You damned fool! This is how you're supposed to tighten bolts!" and struck the employee over the head with a wrench. Such direct - and sometimes violent - intervention was far from the consensus-oriented image of Japanese management known in the West.[11]
In his later years, Honda's autocratic style increasingly chafed younger workers, and he struggled to keep pace with technological innovation. The air-cooled engine controversy demonstrated how his stubbornness could threaten the company's future, requiring his longtime partner Fujisawa to force a confrontation.[11]
Wartime involvement
Like many Japanese industrialists, Honda's business was co-opted into military production during World War II. His piston ring factories produced components for military vehicles and aircraft, and his facilities were bombed by American forces in 1944. The extent of his willing participation versus coerced contribution to the war effort has been debated by historians.[3]
Personal life
Marriage and family
In October 1935, Honda married Sachi, who became an integral part of his business ventures. She joined the company as a bookkeeper, managed meals for live-in staff, and accompanied Honda on his travels for the rest of his life. The couple raised their children together while building the business. On April 11, 1942, Sachi gave birth to their son Hirotoshi Honda.[14]
The couple had three children, including sons Hirotoshi and Hiroshi. Their son Hirotoshi founded Mugen Motorsports, a prominent Honda tuning company that also creates original racing vehicles. True to his philosophy about family succession, Honda never pressured his sons to join the main company. He and Fujisawa made a pact never to force their children into the business.[1]
Even in his advanced years, Honda maintained an active lifestyle. Both he and his wife Sachi held private pilot's licenses. Honda also enjoyed skiing, golf, racing cars, and took up hang gliding and ballooning at age 77. He was additionally known as a highly accomplished artist.[15]
Death
Soichiro Honda died on August 5, 1991, of liver failure in Tokyo. He was 84 years old. His death came just days before the Hungarian Grand Prix. Ayrton Senna, who won the race driving a Honda-powered McLaren, dedicated his victory to the man whose engines had carried him to three World Championships.[1]
Honda's wife Sachi and three children survived him. He was posthumously awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun and appointed to the senior third rank in Japan's order of precedence.[1]
Legacy
Honda's influence on global transportation extends across motorcycles, automobiles, and motorsport. Under his leadership, Honda motorcycles outsold Triumph and Harley-Davidson in their respective home markets. The company he founded remains one of the world's largest motorcycle manufacturers and a major automobile producer.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) established the Soichiro Honda Medal in 1982 to recognize outstanding achievement in personal transportation. Honda was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1989.[3]
His legacy of engineering innovation, perseverance through failure, and commitment to meritocracy over family succession continues to influence Honda Motor Company and the broader automotive industry.
Awards and honors
- Order of the Sacred Treasure, First Class
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (posthumous)
- Automotive Hall of Fame inductee (1989)
- Japan Automotive Hall of Fame inductee
- James Watt International Medal
- ASME Medal
- Holley Medal
- Honorary citizen of Tenryu[1]
See also
- Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Takeo Fujisawa
- Honda in Formula One
- Isle of Man TT
- Japanese post-war economic miracle
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 <ref>"Soichiro Honda - Wikipedia".Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ <ref>"Honda Soichiro - Founder, Automotive Engineer, Entrepreneur".Britannica Money.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 <ref>"Soichiro Honda".ASME.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ <ref>"Soichiro Honda".New World Encyclopedia.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ <ref>"Soichiro Honda: The Founder of Honda and The Legend".Interesting Engineering.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 <ref>"Soichiro Honda's Success Story Will Inspire You To Not Give Up".Stunning Motivation.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ <ref>"Takeo Fujisawa - Wikipedia".Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ <ref>"The Joy of Manufacturing - 1936".Honda Global.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 <ref>"60 Years of Honda Racing".Honda UK.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ <ref>"Formula One Entry: The Initial Phase - 1964".Honda Global.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 <ref>"Honda Sōichirō: From Mechanic to Visionary Auto Magnate".Nippon.com.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 <ref>"The Honda 145, an Even More Forgotten Failure".Driven to Write.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 <ref>"Company Leaders Honda and Fujisawa Retire".Honda Global.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ <ref>"Soichiro Honda biography: 13 things about Honda founder".CONAN Daily.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
- ↑ <ref>"Soichiro Honda: The man behind a legend".GrandPrix.com.Retrieved December 4, 2025.</ref>
External links
- 1906 births
- 1991 deaths
- Japanese chief executive officers
- Chief executive officers
- Japanese company founders
- Honda people
- Japanese engineers
- Japanese inventors
- Japanese businesspeople
- People from Shizuoka Prefecture
- Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun
- Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure
- Automotive Hall of Fame inductees
- Formula One team owners
- Deaths from liver failure
- 20th-century Japanese businesspeople