In 1921, Shozaburo Shimano established Shimano Iron Works in the Japanese city of Sakai. The company began to manufacture bicycle components, for which Shimano is still known today.

Shimano introduced their first fishing product, the Shimano Bantam reel, in 1978. Bantam was shortly followed by the X-Rods range, which launched Shimano’s astounding fishing product development. Today, Shimano produces fishing equipment in Japan, Malesia, and Indonesia, and it is one of the leading manufacturers of fishing equipment in the world.