Kageyori is a swordsmith name borne by several makers active in Province during the period. Sword reference works enumerate at least four distinct smiths using this name, variously associated with the group, the school as a son of Kagehide, and the Nitta-sho lineage. The smith traditionally placed around the Einin era (1293--1299) bears the title Sakon Shogen and is recorded with dated works spanning from Koan through Kangen, establishing a clear period of activity in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. A further Kageyori, identified by a boldly cut large-character , is accepted as work of somewhat earlier date. The relationships among these smiths remain a subject of scholarly discussion, with some authorities proposing connections to craftsmen such as , Chikayori, and Ujiyori of Nitta-sho, and others identifying the Einin-era maker as the founder of the Yoshii lineage.
The works attributed to Kageyori display two broadly distinguishable modes of workmanship. Blades associated with the Nitta-sho and late lineage typically show mixed with , with the standing out overall and a faint appearing. The in these works is with a slight admixture of small , the inclined toward tightness and somewhat subdued, with small . By contrast, works identified as -school production present a tightly forged ground with distinct and a -based temper mixed with , -like , and in a arrangement, displaying bright with and .
Surviving works by Kageyori are extremely few, and those retaining with date inscriptions constitute especially valuable reference material. The majestic with high and pronounced seen in certain examples recalls the finest works of , while the meticulous -style forging of other pieces conveys the character of late at its most accomplished. Both and in the finest examples are exceptionally , and the workmanship is of high quality.