Echigo no Kami Fujiwara Kunitomo was a student of Kunihiro, and according to the Kokon Kaji Biko, a nephew of Shinano no Kami Kunihiro whose native province was Obi in . He followed his master from to the capital, taking up residence at Ichijo in Yamashiro, where he worked during the Keicho to 'ei eras. The Shokan Yoroku records that "Masahiro and Kunitomo appear to have been disciples who followed from to the capital region." Regarded as the youngest member of the circle, Kunitomo is considered to have provided direct instruction to fellow-school smiths such as Izumi no Kami Kunisada (first generation) and Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke (first generation), whose early styles and closely resemble his own. He is also counted among the smiths who served as for Kunihiro. Beyond these notices, however, even sword books from the period onward transmit few details, and no works bearing date inscriptions are known, leaving little documentary material from which to verify particulars.
Kunitomo's forging displays two distinct modes. The first exhibits the standing, coarse texture characteristic of work, in which mixed with and produces a boldly textured with thickly adhering and prominent . The second mode yields a tightly consolidated that is notably clean and beautiful, with fine and delicate well entered. In , Kunitomo excels at -based temper patterns mixed with , , and , beginning with a straight near the base. The characteristically tends toward and shows a tendency, with adhering well and fine and appearing. His typically forms a shallow turning to with a long , the tip showing . These features collectively produce a working range that at first glance appears in the manner, and in particular suggests Izumi no Kami Kanesada as a model. Various works have also been noted to recall Kaneshiba, Kaneyuki, and Kanemichi, reflecting a strongly -flavored stylistic lineage mediated through the tradition.
While the broader group is understood as aiming at the manner of the superior masters such as and Sadamune, Kunitomo occupies a distinctive position within that milieu for his pronounced Seki-derived coloration. His significance extends beyond his own productions: the prototype of the domain later associated with the first-generation Kunisada -- mixed with -like elements forming a somewhat small-patterned temper -- can already be seen in the work of the master, Kunitomo. His role as the practical intermediary between Kunihiro's teaching and the flowering of the Osaka tradition thus represents a critical link in the transmission of swordsmithing. His signature is invariably cut in a long inscription positioned toward the with a fine chisel, the characters becoming larger as they descend -- a hallmark as individual as his bladework. Relatively few signed works survive, and among his only two examples are presently known, yet the range of forms encountered in his oeuvre -- from recalling greatly shortened -period to the rare kata- construction -- attests to an outstanding versatility of workmanship.