The first-generation Yamashiro no Kami Fujiwara Kunikiyo is said to have been a native of Matsumoto in Shinano Province and the son of the third-generation Shimada Sukemune. He studied under Kunihiro, and after Kunihiro's death entered the service of the Matsudaira house of Takada in Echigo. When his lord Tadamasa was transferred to Fukui in , Kunikiyo accompanied him and settled there. In 'ei 4 (1627) he received the title Yamashiro Daijo, and the following year, 'ei 5 (1628), he advanced to Yamashiro no Kami and was granted permission to use the chrysanthemum crest. The name was carried on through several generations whose styles are largely uniform and whose signatures are extremely similar, making attribution a matter of careful discernment; however, the first generation possessed the highest technical ability, followed by the second generation.
Kunikiyo excelled most especially at , yet works are also encountered in which is taken as the main theme. His typically presents with conspicuous mixed in, the grain standing out with a somewhat blackish cast that well displays the characteristic qualities of steel. Thick adheres in fine particles with delicate , and in some works a flowing tendency with inclination appears toward the edge. His is rendered as or , at times becoming shallowly with a slight admixture of ; the is deep, adheres thickly and well, and internal such as and are abundant. The may display a tendency toward , imparting an unrestrained boldness and a sense of compelling power that calls to mind the workmanship of the second-generation Yasutsugu. His characteristically turns back in or , often with vigorous .
Among Kunikiyo's oeuvre, his especially inspired blades fully manifest his technical prowess, with both and that are and a robust that is dignified and imposing. His late-career works bearing the nyudo signature are extremely rare. A dedicated to the Shrine of Amaterasu Omikami with a 'ei 22 (1645) date inscription is of particular documentary value, and his signatures provide a key diagnostic: within the character for , the diagonal strokes of the inner element run parallel, differing from the second generation and later. Beyond swordsmithing, his carvings on both sword blades and fittings are crisply executed, further attesting to the breadth of his artistry.