Kagenori was the principal smith of the Yoshii lineage, a group of Bizen swordsmiths resident in Yoshii, a locality facing Osafune village across the Yoshii River. The Yoshii school prospered from the end of the Kamakura period through the Muromachi period, developing a distinct style independent of the mainstream Osafune-Bizen tradition. One view holds Kagenori to have been the chakuryu (main line) of Yoshii, and the name endured for the longest span among the group's craftsmen. Works bearing the long signature "Bizen no Kuni Yoshii ju Kagenori" together with dated examples continue through the eras of Sadawa, Kanno, Eitoku, Oei, and Shocho, attesting to a succession of smiths using this name across several generations. There also exist two tachi with carved inscriptions dated Koan 2 and Koan 4, though whether these should be regarded as Yoshii works remains a matter requiring further study.

The forging across Kagenori's oeuvre characteristically displays itame-hada mixed with o-itame, frequently showing a tendency toward hada-dachi (standing grain), with ji-nie appearing and utsuri -- sometimes midare-utsuri -- standing out in finer examples. The hamon is the hallmark of the Yoshii school: choji mixed with gunome, or contiguous gunome with pointed elements (togariba), forming small companioned groupings. The temper is nie-deki in character, with ko-nie adhering, sunagashi running frequently, and kinsuji appearing. The boshi typically enters in midare-komi or runs sugu with ko-maru, often showing hakikake. Among the signed works formerly in the possession of the Date family, one tachi with a boldly cut two-character signature received an appraisal identifying it as Ko-Bizen, conveying through its refined, large-scale signature and strong nie within the ha an aspect reminiscent of that earlier tradition.

Extant signed works of the Yoshii group are comparatively few, making each surviving example valuable material for study. The setsumei consistently note the nie-deki character and distinctive gunome tempering that distinguish the Yoshii manner from the Osafune mainstream, and observe that in later generations the group's products were often prone to misattribution as Mino work. Whether taken as representative of the Ko-Yoshii tradition of the late Kamakura period or as dated Nanbokucho-era specimens preserving the traditional style with ko-nie, Kagenori's works constitute precious reference pieces that merit continued, careful research into this important but still incompletely understood branch of the Bizen sword-making tradition.