Soichiro Honda (1906–1991) was a Japanese engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of Honda Motor Co. Born into a blacksmith’s family in Shizuoka Prefecture, he trained at an automobile repair shop in Tokyo before manufacturing piston rings and developing auxiliary engines for bicycles. He established Honda Motor Co. in 1948 and, working with Takeo Fujisawa, transformed it from a motorcycle producer into a global manufacturer of motorcycles and automobiles. Honda led the development of the accessible and practical Super Cub, pushed the company into overseas markets and automobile production, and pursued Formula One racing as a demanding test of engineering ability. His representative book, “Honda Sōichirō: Yume o Chikara ni—Watashi no Rirekisho,” recounts his path from mechanic’s apprentice to company founder and brings together his reflections on product development, technological challenges, management, and learning through repeated failure.
