Yoshihira was a leading swordsmith of the Fukuoka school in Province, active during the mid- period, approximately the Kangen era (1243-1247). Traditional transmission texts record him as a grandson of Muneyoshi and a son of Yoshiie, placing him squarely within the main Fukuoka lineage at its zenith. He is consistently ranked alongside Yoshifusa, Sukezane, and Norifusa as one of the representative masters who defined the school's celebrated flamboyant style. While several signed survive, including one designated as a National Treasure, signed works remain comparatively few for a smith of his stature. A near- formerly in the possession of the Ii family of Hikone domain is published in the Kozan and the , attesting to the esteem in which his work has been held across centuries of connoisseurship.
Yoshihira's forging typically presents mixed with and, at times, , with a characteristic tendency toward (standing grain); finer examples show tightly compacted . A defining hallmark across virtually all examined works is the presence of , which stands distinctly in the . Fine adheres well, and in stronger works abundant enrich the steel surface. The is grounded in , mixing , , -, , and to produce a brilliantly variegated temper line. The construction is principally with deep and well-attached , though examples exist in which forms conspicuously within the hardened edge. Activity within the temper includes , , , and . Compared with contemporaries such as Yoshifusa, Yoshihira less frequently produces the extravagantly large -; his work instead favors greater variation in pattern and scale. Certain blades exhibit a reverse-slanting tendency () in the lower half, an exceedingly rare trait among his oeuvre. Some works display relatively restrained, even-height in , with a soft, moist (), representing a quieter but equally characteristic mode. The most commonly shows turning back in , though straight tendencies approaching also appear.
Yoshihira occupies a distinctive position within the Fukuoka school: his range of workmanship spans from restrained, smaller-scale compositions to vigorously undulating temper lines rivaling those of Yoshifusa, making his corpus essential for understanding the full breadth of the school's artistic vocabulary. His signatures are typically cut with a bold, thick chisel, yet at least one authenticated example displays a fine chisel with notably small characters, providing valuable reference material for the study of his hand. Several surviving blades bear (cut marks) on the , physical evidence of martial service. Provenance records link his works to distinguished collections including the Ii family of Hikone, the Shimazu family, and the Hachisuka family. As Honma observed, among mid- smiths the most flamboyant are found in the works of Yoshifusa and Yoshihira, and the breadth of style evident across his signed and attributed pieces confirms his place as one of the foremost craftsmen of the golden age of swordmaking.