Kunitoki is one of the foremost representative smiths of the school of Province. The school traces its origins to Taro Kunimura, who is traditionally regarded as a grandson through the maternal line of Kuniyuki of Yamashiro. From this lineage emerged many highly skilled smiths — Kunisuke, Kuniyoshi, Kuniyasu, Kunitomo, Kuninobu, Kunitsuna, and others — and the school flourished greatly at Kumafu in Kikuchi District from the late period through the period. Kunitoki is variously transmitted as either the son or a student of Kunimura. The succession of smiths bearing the name extended into the period. Among those works bearing dated inscriptions are examples from 3 and Shohei 7, from which his period of activity can be broadly ascertained. Relatively many of his works survive today, and the overall average quality of his workmanship is consistently high.
The workmanship of the group broadly resembles that of the Yamashiro school, yet several points of distinction mark the tradition. In the , a conspicuous tendency toward appears within the forging, and the steel takes on a whitish cast, producing a characteristic that stands out prominently. The is typically a or in which the shows a somewhat — subdued — tendency, with comparatively gentle activities within the tempered area. The tends toward a slightly larger roundness at the tip and is tempered with a shallow . Within this school idiom, Kunitoki's individuality is recognized in the particularly thick adherence of and in a that, at its finest, achieves notable brightness and clarity. Several works display a -based temper mixed with and , revealing an animated tempering manner rare within the group. Fine and run through the hardened edge, and effects such as and occasionally appear in the and along the blade, lending further variety. A distinctive calligraphic habit shared across the school is the manner of cutting the right half within the enclosing strokes of the character (国) into an ear-shaped form — a noteworthy point of appreciation in the writing style.
Kunitoki's works are praised throughout the designation records for the refinement of their forging and the soundness of their preservation. The phrase — sound and well-preserved — recurs as a hallmark of his surviving blades, in which both and maintain excellent condition. Several pieces are noted as displaying workmanship comparable to Kunimitsu, affirming the deep Yamashiro lineage that underlies the aesthetic. His forms are described as truly imposing and dignified, while even greatly shortened blades retain a robust and powerful . Works of particular note have been transmitted in the Mito Tokugawa and Kishu Tokugawa households. Across the full range of his production — , , and alike — Kunitoki stands as a smith whose refined forging, bright , and faithful expression of the school's defining characteristics secure his position as one of the finest masters of this Province tradition.