Kimotsuki Kanehisa served as a bushō during the Sengoku period.  He served as the fourteenth head of the Kimotsuki clan of Ōsumi Province.

In 1482, following the death of his father, Kimotsuki Kanetsura, Kanehisa inherited the headship of the clan at the age of ten.  Thereafter, his great uncle, Kimotsuki Kanehiro, colluded with the Shimazu clan to start a rebellion so Kanehisa relied upon Niiro Tadatsugu of Shibushi to flee to Hyūga Province.  Later, he received support from Tadatsugu to oust Kanehiro and reclaimed his position as the head of the clan.

To restore relations with the Shimazu clan, arrangements were made for Shimazu Tadamasa to serve in an honorary role to crown Kanehisa with a black-lacquered cap known as an eboshi at his coming-of-age ceremony.  Nevertheless, conflict with Tadamasa persisted.  Kanehisa cooperated with Niiro Tadatsugu and the Itō clan to fight against Tadamasa.  As a result, Tadamasa’s position weakened and, in 1508, unable to withstand the pressure, he took his own life.

Thereafter, Kanehisa continued to battle against the Shimazu clan, but, after the death of Tadamasa, conflicts within the Shimazu occurred one after another, providing an advantage to Kanehisa.

In 1523, Kanehisa died at the age of fifty–one.  He was succeeded by his son, Kimotsuki Kaneoki.