Kanetsada worked within the branch of Yamato Province, a school whose origins trace to the founder Kanenaga, traditionally placed around the Shoo era of the late period. Reference works record the first-generation Kanetsada as a disciple of Kanenaga, active in the Bunpo era (1317-1319), and the lineage continued without interruption through the period and onward into the era. The school's close relationship with the Buddhist temples of Nara is reflected in the name itself, derived from the Tenkaimon Gate on the western approach of Todaiji, near which smiths resided and forged blades.
The designated works attributed to the Kanetsada lineage span from the period through the late and demonstrate the enduring characteristics of Yamato craftsmanship. The -period is notably slender in build, a quality the attributes to Yamato workmanship being "originally classical in spirit," possessing "a notably archaic elegance" when compared with contemporary works from other provinces. Its -based temper mixes , , and with uchi-noke, , and — the active typical of the Yamato manner. A rare from the Sue- period contains "abundant internal activities filled with martial vitality" with a described as "strikingly clear."
Among Sue- works, two-character signatures are common, yet the by Kanesada bears an unusual long inscription including the place name "Nanto-ju" and the honorific "Fujiwara," making it an especially valuable reference piece. This blade further distinguishes itself through gyaku-taka-no- file marks on the — exceptional for a school where taka-no- on both sides is standard — and through workmanship exhibiting "a character not seen among other Sue- pieces," confirming the lineage's continued vitality into the final phase of production.