He was a prolific discoverer of asteroids, observing at Nihondaira Observatory.
[3] His pioneering feat led to an upsurge in such discoveries.
In the ten years that followed, amateurs from Japan discovered 160 minor planets.
[4][5] Urata shared his observation data with peer astronomers in Japan on a periodical called "Tenkai" (the Heavens),[6][7][8][9][10] as well as contributed to academic journals such as Advances in Space Research[11] and participated in poster presentations at astronomical conferences.
One of the most active amateur astronomers in Japan, he was also an editor of the Japanese Ephemerides of Minor Planets.