Noritsuna worked within the Yoshii group of Province, a branch whose origins remain the subject of ongoing study. Sword reference works identify the earliest generation as beginning with dated examples from the Joji era (1362-1368), with subsequent generations active around the Meitoku and Kansho eras; however, as the has observed, "there remains room for further study regarding how these generations should be distinguished." Signed and dated by Noritsuna are exceedingly rare, lending his extant particular importance as documentary material.
The works attributed to Noritsuna divide broadly into two modes: those presenting a linked temper and those in . In the former style, a small-patterned continuous constitutes, in the 's assessment, "a hallmark unique to this group." Yet Noritsuna's earlier productions are distinguished from later Yoshii-school work by conspicuously stronger and vigorous internal activities -- and working clearly within the tempered area -- characteristics that mark what the examiners term an "old Yoshii" work free of later-period mannerisms. The is consistently mixed with or , tending toward , with and, on certain pieces, . In the mode, the is tight with and occasional , yielding a quieter but no less accomplished expression.
Noritsuna's surviving corpus spans both and forms from the late into the early period, with dated inscriptions from Joji 3 (1364) and the Meitoku era (1391-1392). These pieces preserve clearly legible signatures cut in bold strokes toward the side, and as the has noted, they "constitute valuable documentary material" for the Yoshii school during a transitional era in sword-making.
