 Sensō Sōshitsu was the youngest son of Sen no Sōtan; and he was a great-grandson of Sen no Rikyū.Before becoming the head of the Urasenke line of the Sen family, he studied under a physician of Kyoto named Noma Gentaku, aiming to become a physician.Due to the death of Noma, however, he returned to live with his father and concentrate on making a life of carrying on the chadō tradition of the Sen family, founded by his great-grandfather, Sen no Rikyū.