Kunitoshi (来国俊) stands as one of the foremost smiths of the school within the Yamashiro tradition, active during the late period. Dated works cluster primarily in the Showa and Gen'o eras, though pieces of a more archaic character suggest an earlier commencement of production. Some blades bear the extended signature " Minamoto Kunitoshi," incorporating the Minamoto surname; whether these represent the individual as those signed with the standard three-character remains a subject for future research. However, given that the calligraphic style of dated signed with the Minamoto surname differs from those bearing the shorter inscription, it would be reasonable to view them as a different person of the name.
Kunitoshi's forging typically consists of a refined, closely knit with a clean , upon which adheres and stands out, producing steel that is notably clear -- a quality the describes as . His tempering in follows a enlivened with variations, where the interior of the shows plentiful and includes activities such as and . While this refined idiom represents his dominant mode, Kunitoshi is also known for producing -ba on rare occasion; among these, surviving examples in - with deep , strong , and abundant are considered especially distinguished. In , the forms exhibit high chu- with , and the workmanship maintains the standard of clarity and refinement that characterizes his shorter blades.
Kunitoshi's oeuvre encompasses , , and other forms, with his being comparatively numerous among surviving signed works. His production spans a documented period from at least Sho'o 3 (1290) through Genko 1 (1321), the latter date representing work from his later years. Blades by this smith have entered distinguished collections including the Imperial Household and the Yamauchi family, and his work has been widely published in foundational references. The superior quality of his output is consistently acknowledged regardless of signature variant, and his pieces clearly demonstrate the characteristic features of the school at its zenith.