Yoshiie is a smith of the Sanjō school of Yamashiro Province, long transmitted in sword literature as either a son or disciple of the celebrated Munechika. Modern scholarship, however, has moved away from a direct familial connection: the NBTHK has consistently noted that when one considers the body of signed works and their stylistic character, it is difficult to maintain a direct link to Munechika, and Yoshiie is more appropriately understood as a smith working within that lineage during the late Heian to early Kamakura period. A persistent source of confusion in the historical record is the existence of a namesake active within the Fukuoka Ichimonji school of Bizen Province during the mid-Kamakura period. Since the Edo era, works by the two smiths have been conflated, and distinguishing between them remains a matter of ongoing appraisal. One traditional criterion holds that blades bearing the three-character signature "Yoshiie saku" belong to the Sanjō school while those with the two-character "Yoshiie" are of Ichimonji origin, though the NBTHK has cautioned that signature form alone is not definitive. Attribution rests ultimately on a holistic reading of workmanship, steel quality, and the overall character of the blade.

Yoshiie's work is defined by a deeply archaic elegance that the NBTHK repeatedly characterizes as possessing a "Kyoto character." His forging is typically a tightly packed ko-itame-hada with fine ji-nie adhering thickly and chikei running through the ground steel, yielding a surface of exceptional clarity. A softly expressed nie-utsuri is frequently observed, reinforcing the refined Yamashiro aesthetic. The hamon is most often grounded in ko-midare mixed with ko-choji, with ashi and yo entering well; at the yakigashira, intermittent nijuba and yubashiri may appear, lending a distinctive vitality that examiners have identified as a hallmark of the Sanjō school. Thick nie adheres throughout, and fine kinsuji and sunagashi contribute to a temper described as bright and clear. Some works exhibit a suguha-based temper with gentle undulations, accompanied by deep nioi and well-adhering ko-nie, demonstrating breadth within a consistently restrained idiom. The boshi ranges from midare-komi with vigorous hakikake and strong nie to a quieter straight form with ko-maru, often showing a nijuba-like tendency that examiners have noted as a characteristic point of appreciation.

Yoshiie occupies an important position in the study of early Yamashiro sword-making as one of the few smiths bridging the classical Sanjō tradition into the Kamakura period. His blades characteristically display slender proportions with pronounced koshizori, marked funbari, and ko-kissaki—the hallmarks of elegant late Heian tachi form—yet several designated examples show a slightly widened body with less tapering toward the tip, suggesting activity extending into the early Kamakura transition. The NBTHK has consistently praised the overall kenzen (sound and well-preserved) condition of his surviving works, and his blades have been transmitted within distinguished collections including the Shimazu family of Kajiki, the Ikeda family of Okayama, and the Imperial Household. One tachi, presented to Emperor Meiji by the Hachisuka family, remains in the imperial collection. The blade bearing the kiritsuke-mei "Yoshiie suriage" attests to the enduring regard in which his name was held at the time of shortening, and the re-chiseling of a signature as "Tenza"—a term associated with an emperor's sword—speaks to the veneration accorded these works across centuries of Japanese sword culture.