Abstract: A midsole includes an upper layer and a lower layer made of a foamed material; the upper layer is a low-hardness foamed material; the lower layer is a high-hardness foamed material; the low-hardness foamed material of the upper layer is a low-hardness, high-resilience material that has a higher specific gravity than the high-hardness foamed material, that has a low hardness that is lower than the hardness of the high-hardness foamed material, and that has a higher speed at which to recover to an original shape after being deformed than that of the high-hardness foamed material.

Abstract: A sole constituting a part of footwear includes a shock-absorbing part provided at least in a rearfoot region, the shock-absorbing part cushioning an impact applied to a heel of a foot upon landing, and a support part provided at least in a midfoot region, the support part being higher in rigidity than the shock-absorbing part and supporting a midfoot portion of the foot, the support part includes a support surface, the support surface being provided forward of the shock-absorbing part and having a shape extending from one end to the other end in a width direction, and the shock-absorbing part includes a recessed surface located at a height position lower than the support surface, and a plurality of columnar bodies each having a shape extending from the recessed surface to a height position identical in height to the support surface.

Abstract: An upper is formed using a fiber sheet that includes: a connected part in which a surface layer and an inner layer are connected to each other; and a non-connected part in which these layers are not connected to each other, in order to provide a shoe having a low risk of causing complicated production processes or discharge of a large amount of waste materials even when shoes with a large number of different types are produced.

Abstract: A reinforcement device reinforcing an upper includes: a rear first portion placed between a sole and a top line in a rear end portion of the upper; a rear second portion placed in a boundary portion between the upper and the sole in the rear end portion of the upper; a lateral first portion being continuous with the rear first portion and extending toward the sole on the lateral side; a medial first portion being continuous with the rear first portion and extending toward the sole on the medial side, the medial first portion being less flexurally deformable than the lateral first portion; and a medial second portion being continuous with the rear second portion and extending toward an anterior direction from the rear second portion along the medial side boundary portion so that the medial side boundary portion is less flexurally deformable than the lateral side boundary portion.

Abstract: A midsole includes an upper layer and a lower layer made of a foamed material; the upper layer is a low-hardness foamed material; the lower layer is a high-hardness foamed material; the low-hardness foamed material of the upper layer is a low-hardness, high-resilience material that has a higher specific gravity than the high-hardness foamed material, that has a low hardness that is lower than the hardness of the high-hardness foamed material, and that has a higher speed at which to recover to an original shape after being deformed than that of the high-hardness foamed material.

Abstract: A reinforcement device reinforcing an upper includes: a rear first portion placed between a sole and a top line in a rear end portion of the upper; a rear second portion placed in a boundary portion between the upper and the sole in the rear end portion of the upper; a lateral first portion being continuous with the rear first portion and extending toward the sole on the lateral side; a medial first portion being continuous with the rear first portion and extending toward the sole on the medial side, the medial first portion being less flexurally deformable than the lateral first portion; and a medial second portion being continuous with the rear second portion and extending toward an anterior direction from the rear second portion along the medial side boundary portion so that the medial side boundary portion is less flexurally deformable than the lateral side boundary portion.