Kenjiro Shoda was born on February 25, 1902, in Tatebayashi, Gunma to a wealthy family.

In 1925, in his second year at the Graduate School of Tokyo University, Shoda got a scholarship which allowed him to study in Germany.

Soon afterwards, he began to write Abstract Algebra, his mathematical textbook in Japanese for advanced learners.

[1] In 1933, Shoda was appointed as professor in the Faculty of Science at Imperial Osaka University, which was founded in 1931, as the eighth Imperial University of Japan and hence the second one in the Kansai region, to promote industries in Osaka, therefore focusing on natural science, engineering and medicine in particular.

In 1949 Shoda was awarded the Japan Academy Prize in recognition of his fine achievements.

Shoda worried that most students were lacking in physical education and paid too little attention to it.

When his term as president ended in 1961, Shoda left Osaka University but suddenly returned as a professor in the Faculty of Engineering Science founded that year, and was appointed its first dean.

After retirement from Osaka University, he still worked to improve the Japanese educational system in this field.

After his death, his family contributed a part of his legacy to some academic institutions including Osaka University.

"Shoda Garden", a silent cozy space, is at the corner of main street of the campus, beside the building of the Cyber Media Center at Toyonaka, backed by dense bamboo woods.