5ZIGEN is a Japanese motorsport-parts brand known today mainly for its wheels and exhausts, but it did not start out building either.
Founded on Sports Mufflers, February 1987
According to the company’s own history page, 5ZIGEN International Co., Ltd. (5ZIGENインターナショナル株式会社) was founded in February 1987, and started out by developing sports mufflers before expanding into motorsport parts more broadly, including wheels and suspension components. The company is led by president Masashi Kinoshita. We have not been able to independently confirm, beyond the company’s own account, exactly why “1987” and “1989” both appear in different places in its public record — the 1989 date elsewhere associated with the brand appears tied to the start of its in-house racing team rather than the company’s founding, but we note the discrepancy rather than resolve it with certainty.
From Mufflers to Wheels
5ZIGEN is probably best known in enthusiast circles today for the FN01R-C wheel, a lightweight mesh-spoke design that became closely associated with Japanese time-attack and grip-circuit culture in the late 1990s and 2000s — prominent enough that the brand marked its 25th anniversary with a teased revival of the design. The company’s product range also includes the BORDER series of mufflers, which remains in production today.
What We Could Not Verify
- We could not confirm the meaning of the name “5ZIGEN” itself (whether it is meant to evoke a Japanese word, a transliteration, or something else) from an official source.
- We could not resolve the “1987 vs. 1989” founding-date discrepancy noted above beyond the explanation that 1989 is tied to the racing team.
- We did not find a named founder for the company; our only confirmed leadership figure is current president Masashi Kinoshita.
Spotted in the Wild
This profile was prompted by a Honda Integra Type R (DC5) that came through our stock fitted with 5ZIGEN AW wheels, alongside a FUJITSUBO muffler, TEIN coilovers and a BLITZ air intake. As with all of our “as described” vehicle write-ups, the wheel model is reported as described by the seller rather than independently measured by us. See our Honda Integra Type R DC5 Wheel Fitment Guide for the wheel and fitment side of that car.
Source: 5ZIGEN International Co., Ltd., company history page (5zigen.co.jp), as cited in secondary English-language reference material.