The seventh Soke Chokusai was an adoptive son from a samurai family but, along with the seventh iemoto of Omote-senke Joshinsai and the eight iemoto of Ura-senke Itto Soshitsu who were his contemporaries, he developed the iemoto seido (iemoto system) whereby he took in many students and was referred to as the resurgence.
7代直斎は武家出身の養子であるが、同時代の表千家7代如心斎や裏千家8代一燈宗室らとともに、家元制度を整備し多くの門人を受け入れ、中興と称される。