Soichiro Honda was born on 17 November 1906 in Kōmyō village, Iwata District, Shizuoka, near Hamamatsu. His early childhood was spent helping his father, Gihei Honda, a blacksmith, with his bicycle repair business. At the time, his mother, Mika Honda, was a weaver. Honda's interest in machinery and invention began at a young age, particularly after seeing a car in his village as a toddler. He was thrilled by the smell of oil it gave off, which he described as smelling "like perfume".
At 15, without formal education, Honda left home and headed to Tokyo to look for work. He obtained an apprenticeship at a garage in 1922 and worked as a car mechanic for six years before returning home to start his own auto repair business in 1928. In 1936, Honda participated in the "1st Japan Automobile Race" at Tamagawa Speedway, where he crashed and seriously injured his left eye. After the accident, he quit racing.
In 1937, Honda founded Tōkai Seiki to produce piston rings for Toyota. However, during World War II, the company's plants were destroyed, and Honda was forced to sell the salvageable remains to Toyota for ¥450,000. He used the proceeds to found the Honda Technical Research Institute in October 1946. In 1948, Honda started producing a complete motorized bicycle, the Type A, and in 1949, he developed the Type D motorcycle, which became the first model in the Dream series.
The development of the Type D motorcycle marked a significant milestone in Honda's career. The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan lists both the Type A and the Type D models as two of their 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology. Honda's engineering and marketing skills resulted in Honda motorcycles outselling Triumph and Harley-Davidson in their respective home markets.
Soichiro Honda retired as president of Honda Motor Company in 1973 but remained as director and was appointed "supreme advisor" in 1983. He passed away on 5 August 1991, at the age of 84, due to liver failure. Ayrton Senna, winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix that year, dedicated the victory to Honda.
As president of Honda Motor Company, Soichiro Honda transformed the company into a billion-dollar multinational. He was recognized for his achievements, including being listed on People magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People of the Year" in 1980. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) established the Soichiro Honda Medal in 1982 to recognize outstanding achievement or significant engineering contributions in the field of personal transportation.
Soichiro Honda received several honors, including the Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (30 March 1978), Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (5 August 1991; posthumous), and Senior Third Rank (5 August 1991; posthumous). He was also inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame near Detroit in 1989.
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