Shimano is one of the giants in the bicycle industry and has a long history. The founder Shozaburo Shimano explained the foundation of the company in 1921 like this:
"My target is making Shimano products the best in Kansei (region around Osaka in Japan), after that in Japan and in the end the best in the world."
This idea still permeates all Shimano products. Wheter it's a racing bike or a mountain bike, you will find the components from Japan everywhere on the bikes of the worlds best athletes. One of the most important innovations was the development of the indexed shifting by Shimano. The principle that significantly simplifies and speeds the gear change can be found everywhere today.