Born in 1572 as the heir of Ukita Naoie, lord of Okayama Castle in Bizen Province. When his father died of illness in 1581, he inherited the vast domains of Bizen, Mimasaka, and Bitchu at only ten years old. Hideyoshi took the young heir under his wing as a protégé, establishing a close adoptive bond. In 1584 he married Go-hime, Maeda Toshiie's fourth daughter who had been adopted by Hideyoshi, cementing his place at the center of Hideyoshi's regime. As a great daimyo with 570,000 koku, he became one of the Five Elders alongside Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie, Mori Terumoto, and Kobayakawa Takakage, serving as a pillar of the Toyotomi government. He also fought in the Korean campaigns. At Sekigahara (1600) he sided with Ishida Mitsunari and Otani Yoshitsugu, commanding 17,000 Ukita troops in fierce battle, but Kobayakawa Hideaki's betrayal turned the tide and he was forced to flee. Taking refuge with the Shimazu clan of Satsuma, he was exiled to Hachijojima in 1603. On the island he farmed quietly for over 50 years and died in 1655 at age 83—among the longest-lived of all Sengoku daimyo.

A straightforward, loyal warrior devoted to Hideyoshi. Never forgetting his debt to the Toyotomi, he fought to the last at Sekigahara despite certain defeat. He lived out his exile with calm dignity.

A loyal general who fought to the end as a Western army leader at Sekigahara. His extraordinary fate—living to 83 on Hachijojima—stands out among Sengoku warriors. His grave and memorial still stand on the island.