He was born on August 3, 1843 in the town of Shuri (the capital at the time). He was the son of Shō Iku, the previous king. In 1879, Shō Tai lost his role as king due to Japan annexing Ryūkyū. He was moved to Tokyo where he became a government member. He died there on August 19, 1901 at the age of 59.