Ukita Kōkichi (浮田 幸吉, 1757 - 1847?) was a Japanese aviation pioneer, who is said to make artificial wings and fly with them. He is considered to be the first Japanese person to fly. He is also known as Chōjin Kōkichi (鳥人 幸吉/Kōkichi the birdman), Hyōgu-shi Kōkichi (表具師 幸吉/Kōkichi the Paperhanger), Sakuraya Kōkichi (櫻屋 幸吉), Bizen'ya Kōkichi (備前屋 幸吉), and Binkōsai (備考斎).
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Ukita was born in 1757 during the Edo period in Hachihama, Kojima District, Bizen Province (now Hachihama, Tamano, Okayama) as the second son of Ukita (Sakuraya) Seibei(浮田（櫻屋）清兵衛). When he was seven years old, his father died. Then he went to Okayama city and became an apprentice of Hyōgu-shi, paperhanger (maker of Shōji, Fusuma).
Ukita studied how birds fly. He finally concluded, "Compute the ratio of the wing's area to the body's weight and use that ratio to create an artificial wing. Humans may use them to fly like a bird."
His skill of paperhanging was very useful for making wings. He made the wings' ribs of bamboo, covered them with paper and fabric and varnished the surface with lacquer from Japanese persimmons. After discarding many prototypes, Ukita tried flying from a bridge over Asahigawa-river(旭川) in the summer of 1785. Some references say that he glided several metres, but others say that he just fell. His eccentricity astonished the citizens who were out enjoying the cool evening air by the riverside. Immediately Ukita was arrested by Okayama Domain-certified-samurais, and Lord Ikeda Harumasa (池田治政) exiled Ukita from Okayama Domain. In other accounts, Ukita was beheaded by the Tokugawa shogunate. Kan-sa-zan(菅茶山), a contemporary scholar/poet, referred to this event in his writing.
Then he moved to Sunpu (駿府), Suruga province(now Shizuoka, Shizuoka) and opened a cotton shop under the name Bizen'ya Kōkichi. Once the business was established, he turned it over to his nephew and became a dental technician under the name Binkōsai. His excellent dentures established his reputation.
About his later years, there are two opinions. One says that Ukita flew again at Sunpu and was executed for a crime of rioting, but in another, Ukita moved to Mitsuke(見附), Tōtōmi Province(now Iwata, Shizuoka), quietly spent the rest of his life with wife and children, and died peacefully in 1847 at age 92.
His tomb is in the Daiken-ji Temple(大見寺), Iwata, Sizuoka. His posthumous name(Buddhist name) is 釋帝玄居士.
Incidentally, Lord Ikeda's descendant Ikeda Takamasa (池田隆政) cancelled the exile punishment in 1997.