Sōichirō Honda

Sōichirō Honda was a Japanese engineer and industrialist whose fascination with machinery began in the family blacksmith shop and led him to work at Tokyo’s Art Shokai automobile repair company. After establishing the Honda Technical Research Institute in 1946, he developed motorized bicycles from surplus engines and incorporated Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in 1948. His engineering leadership helped transform Honda from a small postwar workshop into a major motorcycle and automobile manufacturer.