First learning the game from her brother-in-law and then under the tutelage of Japanese champion Kinrey Matsuyama, Katsura became Japan's only female professional player.

[11][footnote 1] Katsura also had a billiard table at home, bought by her family after she showed intense interest in the sport.

[10] Katsura's two younger sisters, Noriko and Tadako, also won the women's straight rail championship in other years.

[5] In 1937, Katsura met Kinrey Matsuyama, who had won Japan's national three-cushion championship multiple times.

[7] At the time of their marriage Katsura already boasted two second-place finishes at Japan's national three-cushion championship; one from the year prior to their wedding.

[14] He and Katsura, who spoke little English,[18] set sail for the United States on the USS Breckinridge, debarking in San Francisco at the end of December 1951,[14] just a few months before the 1952 World Three-Cushion Billiards tournament was scheduled to begin in that city on 6 March.

[23] Katsura had been conditionally invited to play at the world championship after Cochran, whose billiard parlor was hosting the tournament, had heard of her brilliance from Matsuyama.

"[25] Though the decision was ultimately in the hands of the Billiard Congress of America as tournament sponsor, they gave Cochran the option to invite her.

[20] After Katsura arrived in the U.S., she gave a private exhibition for Cochran, who wanted to make sure she was as good as reported before finalizing the invitation.

At that meeting she clicked off runs of 300 and 400 at straight rail, made in the words of Cochran "almost unbelievable shots"[20] after switching to balkline, and showed high competence at three-cushion, consistently scoring.

[20] Cochran made the invite "final"[19] and stated: "She's the most marvelous thing I ever saw... She's liable to beat anybody, even Willie Hoppe...

Life magazine reported that "San Franciscans who did not know a cue from a cucumber crowded in to see her... Katy [sic]... stole the show.

They made quite a contrast as Crane was the tallest player at the tourney,[37] while Katsura was described by reporter Curley Grieve of the San Francisco Examiner as "so small and doll-like she looks like a figurine in her flowing, gold-satin gown.

[52] Following the competition, Jay Bozeman, said "We've found it hard to believe that a woman could actually step into the best billiard championship in the world and hold her own.

"[53] The duo previewed their tour with a three-day engagement at the Garden City Parlor in San Jose starting on 18 April 1952.

[54] Katsura stated prior to departing: "I hope my tour will convince women that billiards is not only a man's game.

"[50] Billiards champion Tex Zimmerman (Cochran's partner in the 924 Club)[13] and well known pool hustler Danny McGoorty had a hand in organizing the tour.

Tex Zimmerman's wife sewed tight-fitting kimono for Katsura, slit up the side, which she wore during her exhibitions with high heels.

[63] Eleven competitors were slated to play, many repeats of the prior year, including Chamaco, Katsura, Matsuyama, Bozeman, Kilgore, Procita and Rubin.

New to the field were Harold Worst of Grand Rapids, Hollywood's John Fitzpatrick, Mel Lundberg of Minneapolis and Ezequiel Navarra of Argentina.

[76] Next, Katsura played a five-day, 600 point three-cushion exhibition series with Ray Kilgore in San Francisco, 12–17 March 1953.

[80] The 1954 World Three-Cushion tournament was held in Buenos Aires with only 8 contestants: Katsura; Ray Miller[81] of Jackson, Michigan;[82] Harold Worst; Argentinian brothers Juan and Ezequiel Navarra; Welker Cochran, who had come out of retirement; Chamaco; and defending champion, Kilgore.

[90] In 1959 it was announced that Katsura and Harold Worst would compete in a one week exhibition match to 1,200 points, beginning 9 February at Randolph Recreations in Chicago.

[91][92] Worst and Katsura moved their show to Philadelphia next[10] where they played six matches at three-cushion billiards to 50 points,[93] and thereafter went to exhibit in New York.

[95] The show was in the format of a guessing game, in which a panel attempted to determine the line (occupation), or in the case of a famous "mystery guest", the identity of the contestant.

[96] After she signed in using Japanese characters on a chalk board, show officials listed Katsura's occupation for the audience as "Professional Billiard Player (World's Women's Champion)".

[95] Later that month Katsura made a guest appearance on ABC's You Asked For It, going behind the scenes of westerns[97] to show how television productions set up and filmed a covered wagon rolling over and crashing on cue.

[88] The preceding year Worst had issued a similar title-defending challenge to Joe Chamaco of Mexico,[101] which also took place in Grand Rapids at the same venue.

McGoorty lamented her retirement, stating various theories that he had heard bandied about in billiard circles, such as that her husband[18] (who died in June 1967)[105] kept her from playing for various reasons.

[107] On 7 March 2021, Katsura was featured in a Google Doodle on the search engine's home page, as part of its celebration of International Women's Day.