Takeo Kato was born on May 3, 1888 in the Kawashiri Village of Tsukui, Kanagawa. His grandfather would read Chinese poetry to him as a child, and he submitted his work to publications like “The Young Citizen” (少国民) as a student. Kato first began working as a clerk at a post office. Then, after obtaining a teaching license, he taught at an elementary school for about 8 years. He would frequently submit his works to various publications during this time.
In 1910, at the age of 23, Kato left the elementary school and moved to Tokyo. In 1911, he joined the Shincho Publishing Company. He worked as an editor for “Essay Club” (文章倶楽部), “Studying Tolstoy” (トルストイの研究) and “New Wave” (新潮, Shinchou) while publishing his own works under both his real name and the penname Aikawa Kobayashi (小林愛川). In 1919, Kato published “Nostalgia” (郷愁), a collection of his works, from the Shincho Publisher. In the following two years, he released “The Day I Dream” (夢見る日) and “The Death of a Virgin” (処女の死). He also wrote a longer piece, “Troublesome Spring” (悩ましき春) , which he began writing for a newspaper and published in 1921. Kato became well known for his works dealing with peasant farmers, including “Leaving the Soil” (土を離れて – 1925). Due to this aspect of his writing, he was considered a literary artist with strong local color. He additionally created a publication for the Peasant Literature Society, “The Peasant Farmer” (農民). Kato was also known for his popular fiction.
In 1929, Kato held an anti-Marxist gathering and formed the “Thirteen Person Club.” The following year, this group joined other literature communities to form a club for the New Art Movement (新興芸術派倶楽部). They were a group of 32 authors with an anti-proletariat purpose. In the early 1940s, Kato also became involved with the Defense Literature Federation (国防文芸聯盟), the Peasant Farmer Literature Society (農民文芸懇話会), and the Literature Association (文芸協会). He continued to publish a wide range of works from various publishers.
In 1943, Kato left his job at Shincho Publishing. After his retirement, he continued writing while participating in poetry gatherings and working as a summer-term college lecturer. Takeo Kato died from a stroke in 1956 at the age of 68.
For further information see:
http://www6.plala.or.jp/guti/cemetery/PERSON/K/katou_take.html
https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8A%A0%E8%97%A4%E6%AD%A6%E9%9B%84-15710