Kōichi Itagaki (Japanese: 板垣 公一, Hepburn: Itagaki Kōichi, born 12 November 1947) is an amateur astronomer based in Yamagata, the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshu island, Japan.
In 1963, the 19-year-old Japanese amateur Kaoru Ikeya created national headlines when he discovered a comet with his homemade telescope.
Itagaki was thus encouraged and bought a 15 centimetres (5.9 in) telescope and, after completing highschool, discovered a comet himself at age 20.
[1] Itagaki says he has spent the Yen equivalent of a modest home in his astronomy hobby.
[1] As of mid-2023, Itagaki's most recent discovery is: SN 2023ixf[2] Asteroid 1997 UN8 (/List of minor planets: 14001–15000) was named in his honour.