Katsue Kitasono

• Name — Katué Kitasono • Native Name — 北園克衛 • Born — 29 October 1902 • Birthplace — Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan • Died — 6 June 1978 • Occupation — Poet, photographer, editor • Movement — * Dada • Surrealism • Known for — Founding the VOU Club and the journal VOU; "plastic poems" (visual poetry)

Kitasono was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan. According to background material prepared for a LACMA exhibition, he originally aspired to become a painter, but gained early attention as an avant-garde poet. Over the course of his career he also worked as a critic, graphic designer, magazine editor, and photographer. In 1929, before founding VOU, Kitasono was among the contributors to Ciné, the avant-garde poetry magazine founded by Chirū Yamanaka.

In 1935, Kitasono established the VOU Club and its avant-garde poetry journal VOU. VOU was published in 1935–1940 and 1949–1978, and invited a revolving group of poets alongside artists, composers, and architects. LACMA exhibition materials also emphasize Kitasono's activity as an editor and graphic designer for poetry and visual-art journals, including VOU. Among the VOU circle's members was the photographer and poet Kansuke Yamamoto. In the postwar period, VOU-associated visual poets discussed in overviews of the group include Shōhachirō Takahashi, Motoyuki Itō, Toshihiko Shimizu, and Setsuko Tsuji.

In 1938, Kitasono co-edited the Surrealist poetry journal Yoru no Funsui with the poet-photographer Kansuke Yamamoto and other poets.