This historical lot includes a pair of children's, 1950s era, two-tone black and red, Japanese made Kohshin leather ski shoes with black laces. At the beginning of the 20th Century, people living in the mountainous regions of the prefectures on the Japan Sea coast were already using primitive ‘skis’ to get around. They were instinctively using long pine skis to move around and bamboo poles for balance. Enjoyment and sport were far from these people's minds as they tried to survive in areas where accumulated snow of five or more meters was not uncommon. Japanese interest in skiing increased dramatically in the 1930s. The thought that this form of transportation could actually be a leisure activity, and even become big business, arrived when an Austrian gentleman, named Hannes Schneider, introduced more developed skis that were lighter and had primitive bindings to Japan in the 1930's. Mr. Schneider—complete with his expensive three-piece suit worn at all times, even coming down the slopes—impressed those around him. This marked the beginning of the first ‘skiing boom’ in Japan. The World War halted the rise in popularity of the sport, but skiing started to develop again in the 1950’s when foreigners from Tokyo would head out to visit the resorts concentrated on the island of Honshu. It was in 1956 that one of the great heroes of Japanese skiing to this day, Chiharu ‘Chick’ Igaya, won the first Winter Olympics medal by finishing second in the slalom at the 1956 games in Cortina, Italy. These are size 16.5 with a 7.5" outsole length. The inside liner and tongue are in poor condition, though the insole and outsole appear to be in good condition.