Soga Shohaku was born Miura Shohaku in Kyoto. He studied under Takada Keiho, but is said to have also been influenced by the Unkoku school. He was such a deep devotee of Jasoku Soga that he went so far as to adopt the name Soga. In his twenties and thirties he visited Ise and Banshu (in the region of Hyogo Prefecture) a few times, and in Ise he produced many paintings on paper doors and partitions, such as those of Chodenji temple and the former Nagashima house. The characteristics of his work include eccentric deformation, strong color and a very individualistic, bold style of painting – as evident in Gunsenzu-byobu (“Folding Screen - Gathering of Hermits”). In his later life he secured a position for himself as a painter based in Kyoto. He died at the age of 52.