Direct Injection Method Soccer Cleat is Released

1972

The first shoe in the INJECTOR series is produced using the direct Injection method.

It is a spike shoe developed to perform on hard ground. The name INJECTOR is intended to symbolize a shoe made using the latest manufacturing technology at the time. Later it is also adopted for soccer and baseball cleats.

Ski Jump Shoe is Unveiled

1972

The first Ski Jump shoe is released. Japanese athletes wear the shoe to great success.

Mesh Upper Volleyball Shoe is Released

1972

The ROTATION 72 volleyball shoe is released, featuring a more breathable mesh material in the upper, replacing the canvas upper used in traditional volleyball shoes. Japanese athletes wear the shoe to great success.

GEHRIG Series Baseball Cleat is Released

1973

The first Baseball cleat shoes are released.

The innovative design features a synthetic resin sole with interchangeable spikes.

EVA Marathon Shoe is Released

1974

Onitsuka releases the OHBORI marathon shoe, its first product for the overseas market to adopt the EVA midsole.

EVA is lighter than the conventional rubber sponge material and offers superior impact cushioning. It is later adopted by many athletic shoes all over the world.
The name OHBORI comes from Ohori Park in Fukuoka prefecture.

PAW and TIGER PAW Track and Field Brands are Unveiled

1974

In 1974, the PAW line of track and field sportswear is released.

Together with the TIGER PAW spike shoe released the same year, this marks the initial effort aiming for for total brand development by ONITSUKA. The name PAW is intended to evoke "the claws of a tiger".

LITTLE HOMER S Baseball Cleat is Released

1974

A junior baseball shoe is released.

It features a rubber multi-stud suitable for hard ground.

Onitsuka Tiger GmbH is Established

1975

ONITSUKA Co., Ltd. establishes ONITSUKA TIGER GmbH, a local subsidiary in Dusseldorf in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) as its European base.

Lasse Virén Wear ONITSUKA Shoes

1976

Lasse Virén (gold medalist in both the International 5,000 and 10,000 meter events in 1976) wears ONITSUKA track and field spikes to great success.

↵Birth of ASICS Co., Ltd.↵

1977

The three companies ONITSUKA Co., Ltd., GTO Co., Ltd., and JELENK Co., Ltd. merge as equals to form "ASICS Corporation", a general sporting goods company.

The origin of the company name, ASICS, is the initial letters of the phrase "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano" by the ancient Roman satirist Juvenal. It means "(If you pray to God, you should pray for) a sound mind in a sound body." The phrase itself is the company philosophy, and the sentiment it expresses is captured in the very name of the company.

"Sport: the Universal Language" is established as the corporate slogan of ASICS.
The ASICS and ASICS TIGER brands are introduced and the ASICS promotional logo is created.

Running Shoe is Released

1977

In the late 1970s, jogging, as an aerobic and healthy activity becomes a craze and ASICS releases its running shoes.

The first models are the MONTREAL II road shoes and the ENDURO cross-country shoes. This marks ASICS entry into the wider running shoe market, as differentiated from conventional training shoes.
It is the point at which ASICS establishes itself as a performance running brand in the North American market.

ROTE Volleyball Brand is Unveiled

1978

ROTE volleyball wear and volleyball shoes are released at the same time as part of a total brand campaign.

RAWLINGS Baseball Brand is Released

1979

The company formed a tie-up with US company RAWLINGS and started to release products in Japan.