五箇伝 Gokaden

What is Gokaden in Japanese Katana terminology

The term "Gokaden" refers to the five major traditional schools (area) of sword making. All these five production areas produced many master craftsmen and groups of swordsmiths. It specifically refers to "相州伝 Soshu-den", "美濃伝 Mino-den", "大和伝 Yamato-den", " 山城伝 Yamashiro-den", and "備前伝 Bizen-den". Each of these schools has distinctive features in terms of shape (姿), ground iron(地鉄), and blade pattern (刃文 Hamon). It should be noted that swords produced in areas other than these five are referred to as "Wakimono  脇物".