Gojo Kanenaga is traditionally said to have been a son or grandson of Munechika, and — together with Kuninaga, variously described as his younger brother or his son — to have resided at the Gojo district of Kyoto, from which appellation he derives his name. He is thus a foundational figure in the early Yamashiro tradition, active during the late to early period and representing the direct continuation of the lineage. Reliable extant signed works by Kanenaga are extremely few; the consistently cites a designated an Important Cultural Property, held by the Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword (Nihon Bijutsu Kyokai), as the principal standard for comparison. When he does sign, he cuts a two-character in which the character "" is executed with a fine chisel, somewhat vertically elongated and comparatively large in scale, while the character "naga" is habitually compressed and reduced in size — a distinctive trait noted by the examiners.
Kanenaga's work is characterized above all by the qualities that the identifies as ko-Kyo-mono — old Kyoto work — possessing an archaic fragrance (koko) and classical refinement. The is typically a fine , sometimes mixed with , upon which adheres well and appears. His tends toward a -toned temper mixed with , , and , in which and enter frequently; fine and appear within a that is keenly bright and clear (). In more elaborately tempered examples, the in the lower half can become especially flamboyant, with deep and thickly formed . The characteristically forms with a small turnback, at times showing at the tip. The overall impression is one more orderly than the work of Munechika, yet unmistakably archaic in tone — elegant, dignified, and classically refined in a manner unique to the earliest Kyoto production.
The 's evaluative language is remarkably consistent across sessions spanning four decades: blades attributed to Gojo Kanenaga are praised as "truly elegant in the manner of old Kyoto work," possessing that is "beautiful" with a pleasing kana-iro tone, and and that are "bright and clear" (). The repeated insistence that surviving works are — sound and well-preserved — underscores both the exceptional quality of the steel and the reverence in which these blades have been held across centuries. That so many designated examples are and , yet receive confident attribution on the strength of their workmanship alone, speaks to the distinctiveness of Kanenaga's hand within the broader tradition. His place is that of a direct inheritor of Munechika's legacy who established an independent lineage at Gojo, producing work of refined and dignified character that the regards as among the finest expressions of early Yamashiro craftsmanship.