Gorōzaemon no Jo Kiyomitsu stands as one of the foremost masters of the late Muromachi period Osafune tradition collectively known as Sue-Bizen. Within the many smiths who bore the Kiyomitsu name -- including those with common names Gorōzaemon no Jo, Magōemon no Jo, Yosazaemon no Jo, Hikobei no Jo, and Magobei no Jo -- it is Gorōzaemon no Jo and Magōemon no Jo who are consistently "recognized as superior craftsmen." The Tenbun-dated works belong to the first generation, while those of the Eiroku and Tensho eras are by the second. Kiyomitsu is celebrated, "alongside Tadamitsu, as a master of suguha," yet he also "excelled at forging midareba with skill," and his gunome-midare with opened koshi is noted as approaching "the workmanship of Yosazaemon no Jo Sukesada."

The technical range revealed across designated works is broader than the school's suguha reputation might suggest. In the suguha mode, the NBTHK describes broad straight tempers with well-attached ko-nie and entering yo, with a tight nioiguchi and sunagashi -- works that "may be called the very essence of Kiyomitsu, who excelled in suguha." In the midareba mode, the temper rises high with choji densely mixed with ko-gunome, angular elements, and pointed forms; ashi and yo enter frequently; fine kinsuji and sunagashi run through with scattered yubashiri and small tobiyaki, producing "a hamon rich in variation and brilliance, with a bright and clear nioiguchi." The kitae characteristically shows ko-itame with mixed mokume, fine ji-nie, delicate chikei, and a faint utsuri, though a tendency toward hada-dachi is acknowledged as typical of this maker's works. Rarer pieces exhibit hitatsura full-temper with muneyaki and tobiyaki, including an unusual shobu-zukuri form described as having "splendid" workmanship in a minayaki mode. A notare temper "reflecting a style like that seen in works by Sukesada" further attests to his versatility.

The NBTHK repeatedly praises the finest examples for presenting "a dignified and imposing overall taihai," for retaining "abundant nikuoki," and for the vigor sensed "in both ji and ha." Across the corpus, the bright and clear nioiguchi emerges as the signature diagnostic, whether in suguha or midareba. Among Sue-Bizen smiths whose production included many mass-produced blades, those bearing the Gorōzaemon no Jo title are consistently singled out as works of "superior quality," and the Tokubetsu-Juyo example is commended as "robust, dignified, and imposing" with a forging of "refined and excellent-quality texture" that stands apart from the maker's more commonly encountered standing grain. Commissioned inscriptions and Matsudaira-family provenance further attest to the esteem in which these blades were held.