Katori, named for a Shinto shrine in Katori City, was ordered in January 1904 from Vickers.
The ship was laid down at their Barrow-in-Furness shipyard on 27 April 1904.
She was launched on 4 July 1905, Prince and Princess Arisugawa were on hand for the official launching ceremony.
and completed on 20 May 1906.
Katori departed Britain on 7 June on her maiden voyage and shakedown cruise and arrived at Yokosuka on 15 August.

In a naval review off Yokosuka on 10 November 1913, she served as the flagship for the Taishō Emperor.
Katori occupied the German colony of Saipan, shortly after the start of World War I, on 14 October 1914.
Afterward the ship began a refit in 1914 that lasted until late 1916 and was assigned to the 2nd Battleship Squadron upon its completion.
During this refit, two 12-pounder anti-aircraft guns were replaced two of the low-angle 12-pounders.
She became the flagship of the 5th Battleship Squadron in 1917–18 and served as the flagship for the Japanese commander-in-chief at Nikolayevsk-on-Amur in late 1918 as Japan decided to intervene in the Russian Civil War.

On 3 March 1921, Katori, escorted by Kashima, departed Yokohama bound for Great Britain carrying Crown Prince Hirohito, the first Japanese crown prince to travel abroad.
The ships arrived at Portsmouth on 9 May and Hirohito left the ship to tour Europe; he boarded the battleship again in Naples several months later for the voyage home.
The ship was disarmed in April 1922, stricken from the Navy List on 20 September 1923 and scrapped at Maizuru Naval Arsensal by 29 January 1925 to comply with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty.
Her guns were turned over to the Imperial Japanese Army for use as coastal artillery; one main-gun turret was emplaced near Tokyo Bay in 1925–1932 and another was installed on Iki Island in the Strait of Tsushima in 1929.
The remaining guns were placed in reserve and ultimately scrapped in 1943.
Katori, named for a Shinto shrine in Katori City, was ordered in January 1904 from Vickers. The ship was laid down at their Barrow-in-Furness shipyard on 27 April 1904. She was launched on 4 July 1905, Prince and Princess Arisugawa were on hand for the official launching ceremony. and completed on 20 May 1906. Katori departed Britain on 7 June on her maiden voyage and shakedown cruise and arrived at Yokosuka on 15 August.
In a naval review off Yokosuka on 10 November 1913, she served as the flagship for the Taishō Emperor. Katori occupied the German colony of Saipan, shortly after the start of World War I, on 14 October 1914. Afterward the ship began a refit in 1914 that lasted until late 1916 and was assigned to the 2nd Battleship Squadron upon its completion. During this refit, two 12-pounder anti-aircraft guns were replaced two of the low-angle 12-pounders. She became the flagship of the 5th Battleship Squadron in 1917–18 and served as the flagship for the Japanese commander-in-chief at Nikolayevsk-on-Amur in late 1918 as Japan decided to intervene in the Russian Civil War.
On 3 March 1921, Katori, escorted by Kashima, departed Yokohama bound for Great Britain carrying Crown Prince Hirohito, the first Japanese crown prince to travel abroad. The ships arrived at Portsmouth on 9 May and Hirohito left the ship to tour Europe; he boarded the battleship again in Naples several months later for the voyage home. The ship was disarmed in April 1922, stricken from the Navy List on 20 September 1923 and scrapped at Maizuru Naval Arsensal by 29 January 1925 to comply with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. Her guns were turned over to the Imperial Japanese Army for use as coastal artillery; one main-gun turret was emplaced near Tokyo Bay in 1925–1932 and another was installed on Iki Island in the Strait of Tsushima in 1929. The remaining guns were placed in reserve and ultimately scrapped in 1943.
Japanese battleship Katori