Born in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan on August 25, 1916 — died June 15, 1985 (aged 68)
Born in Hyōgo Prefecture, Kato was the nephew of the film director Sadao Yamanaka. He entered the Toho studio in 1937 and first began by working on documentaries. He worked as an assistant director to Akira Kurosawa in Rashomon. After World War II he switched to making jidaigeki.
