Kunifusa is traditionally held to have been a son of Ko-nyudo Kunimitsu, the late -period founder of the Uda school who migrated from Uda District in Yamato Province to . Tradition further records that Kunifusa studied under Norishige of . Together with Kunimune, he stands as a representative smith of the Uda group, and from the period onward several generations continued to bear the name, with the school flourishing down through the end of the period. Works of the branch that does not descend later than the period are broadly referred to as . The earliest extant dated example bearing the Kunifusa signature is inscribed Koo 1 (1389), while a Bijutsuhin dated Oei 12 (1405) provides critical documentary evidence for the school's chronology. Confirmed signed works reaching back to the late period are limited to only a few examples, making such pieces especially valuable as documentary material. A separate, unrelated line of Kunifusa smiths worked at Uwajima in Iyo Province from the early period, displaying a distinctly manner in both workmanship and construction.
Because the school originally came from Yamato, many works naturally display a strong Yamato temperament; at the time, there also exist examples that appear to emulate - workmanship, thought to follow earlier masters such as Norishige and Go. The forging characteristically shows mixed with and , with the grain tending to stand (); adheres well with frequent , and the steel carries a somewhat dark, tone recognized as distinctive of Hokurikudo-mono — works of the northern provinces. The is most often a -based temper with shallow mixed with , showing deep , well-adhering , and activities including and ; the is characteristically bright and clear. In places, somewhat coarse, rounded appears within the hardened edge — a hallmark of the school — while the frequently tends toward with a deep turn-back and . Generally speaking, while Kunimune's works often show a somewhat standing grain, Kunifusa is frequently seen in tightly forged , and the has noted that "the excellence of the forging in the is a point that warrants an appraisal to Kunifusa."
Across successive designations the consistently affirms that Kunifusa is "regarded as one of the more accomplished smiths within the Uda group" and "one of the foremost representatives of the Uda school." His works are repeatedly described as demonstrating workmanship that is "excellent" in both and , with pieces praised as — sound and well-preserved — and of high completeness without imbalance. The school's prominence as "a major force in the northern provinces" is a recurring theme, and even later-generation works are acknowledged for maintaining good quality of execution. Kunifusa's oeuvre encompasses a range from subdued -tone pieces conveying the Yamato homeland to vigorously unsettled compositions richly covered in , demonstrating that his tradition commanded both restraint and expressive breadth across its long productive span from the period through the close of the era.