Katō Naoyuki
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Artist.
(1952- ) Japanese artist whose name is sometimes romanized as Naoyuki Katoh; of interest largely for book covers and internal Illustration. He has exerted a strong influence on sf's self-perception in Japan, both within prose fiction and in the related fields of Anime and Manga. Katō became active in fandom while still a student at the Chiyoda Design Academy, subsequently becoming one of the founder members of the art company Studio Nue (see Haruka Takachiho).
Kato's notable cover commissions in the Japanese sf world include the Guin Saga (see Kaoru Kurimoto), the complete works of James P Hogan, and the Ginga Eiyū Densetsu ["Legend of Galactic Heroes"] series by Yoshiki Tanaka. However, he is arguably most influential for his covers and interior illustrations for Japanese editions of Robert A Heinlein's Starship Troopers (October-November 1959 F&SF as "Starship Soldier"; 1959; trans into Japanese by Tetsu Yano 1967) from the 1970s onwards, concentrating largely on the Powered Armour suits, and hence making a major contribution towards Japanese depictions of Mecha. He has been garlanded on multiple occasions with the Seiun Award for Art.
Although his list of publications largely comprises galleries of his own work, he also worked in an editorial capacity on a collection of the artwork of his predecessor Motoichirō Takebe (1914-1980), the cover illustrator for, amongst others, Japanese editions of the Pellucidar and Barsoom series (see Edgar Rice Burroughs). Kato's attention has led to a flourishing posthumous fame for Takebe, in art books and gallery retrospectives. [JonC]
Naoyuki Katō
born Shizuoka, Japan: 1952
works (selected)
- Katō Naoyuki Gashū ["Art Collection"] (Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1981, 1983, 1987) [in three volumes: hb/Katō Naoyuki]
- SF Gaka Katō Naoyuki: Bijo, Mecha, Powered Suits ["SF Artist Naoyuki Katō: Pretty Women, Mecha, Powered Suits"] (Tokyo: Laputa, 2006) [hb/Katō Naoyuki]
- SF Gaka Katō Naoyuki: Jikukan Gashō ["SF Artist Naoyuki Katō: Temporal Art Selected"] (Tokyo: Laputa, 2007) [hb/Katō Naoyuki]
- Kikō Tenshi Gabriel ["Armoured Angel Gabriel"] (Tokyo: Laputa, 2008) with Kazutaka Miyatake [hb/]
- Katō Naoyuki: Guin Saga Gashū (Tokyo: Hayakawa Shobo, 2010) [hb/Katō Naoyuki]
- Uchū Senkan Yamato 2199 ARTWORKS (Tokyo: Mag Garden, 2014) [tie to Uchū Senkan Yamato: hb/]
works as editor
- Takebe Motoichirō SF Sashie Genga Shūshū 1965-1973 ["A Compendium of Motoichirō Takebe's SF Illustrations and Sketches 1965-1973"] (Tokyo: Laputa, 2006) [hb/Motoichirō Takebe]
- Takebe Motoichirō SF Sashie Genga Shūshū 1974-1979 ["A Compendium of Motoichirō Takebe's SF Illustrations and Sketches 1974-79"] (Tokyo: Laputa, 2006) [hb/Motoichirō Takebe]
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