Mizuno Corporation is a Japanese sports equipment and sportswear company, founded in Osaka in 1906 by Rihachi Mizuno. Today, Mizuno is a global corporation that produces a wide variety of sports equipment and sportswear for table tennis, badminton, golf, baseball, mixed martial arts, association football, gridiron football, futsal, judo, rugby, running, skiing, athletics, swimming, tennis, handball, and volleyball.
History
Mizuno was founded in 1906 as Mizuno Brothers, Ltd. by Rihachi Mizuno and his younger brother Rizo in Osaka. Initially, the shop sold Western-world sundries, including baseballs, and began selling custom-made athletic wear in 1907. In 1910, the shop moved to Umeda-Shinmichi and was renamed Mizuno Shop. By 1913, the company began manufacturing baseballs and gloves. In 1933, Mizuno introduced Star Line, the first Japanese-made golf clubs, and by 1935, its golf club showroom was the world's largest. The company was renamed Mizuno Co., Ltd in 1941. During World War II, Mizuno manufactured military ordnance for Japan's war effort.
In 1961, Mizuno established its first American factory in Los Angeles, called American Mizuno. Over the years, Mizuno signed sponsorship deals with prominent athletes, including track and field athlete Carl Lewis, the All Blacks rugby team, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana, the Manu Samoa rugby team, Czech tennis player Ivan Lendl, golfer Nick Faldo, and baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson.
To penetrate the American baseball glove market, Mizuno introduced the mobile "Mizuno Baseball Workshop" in the late 1970s, which serviced major league clubs during spring training in Arizona and Florida. This forty-foot van contained leather-working equipment, manned by two skilled Japanese craftsmen, to produce custom gloves and repair all brands.
Mizuno also expanded its operations by opening new factories in Germany, France, China, Scotland, and Hong Kong.
