Interesting, but they might have messed up the process. I think the blade should be straight until they quench it after claying. The curve of the blade is a product of the different shrinking between the hard steel outer edge and the soft core, which is why it's so perfectly curved when done in the traditional manner.

*engineering

Adding video to channels (Engineering) - requested by ant.

I can see that there's a market for this kind of craftmanship / showmanship, but if they waste anymore time on "weeaboo," they will be bankrupt by the end of the month!

Even if they screwed up the process, the process is what I love to see. I'm a fan of their art in general but I will eat up anything that shows me how to take raw materials of the earth and transform them into tools, process, and end-result. Very cool to see the slag and ore handling, and know how they constructed everything from scratch.

Looks like hot ass and they were really sloppy with the craftsmanship. However, I really appreciate the effort they went through and the step by step procedural of it all, though. A lot better than their typical stamped steel projects. It was a good watch.

Not many people know this but a foam noodle is the same density as a grown man's torso.

What did they say they wrapped the handle with? Was it ray skin?

I guess they don't understand that Hattori Hanzo is a person, not a style? You can't make a Hattori Hanzo unless you ARE Hattori Hanzo.
I'm not sure this can even be called a katana, since they use mechanical devices to make it, not pure hand forging.

According to numerous 'how to' videos and books I've seen, @Magicpants has a good point, the blade should be straight until heat treating/quenching. Some interesting stuff here, but I'm not 100% sure it's all accurate by historic katana making standards.

And yes, @lucky760, ray skin. Just like shark skin, it's like natural sand paper and would make a grip quite 'sticky' to the hand.

I felt it was pretty inaccurate as well, though I'm no expert on the subject. Here are some actual Japanese experts showing how it's actually supposed to be done:

Nice find, though the British narrator keeps saying "sam-you-rye" and it's quite distracting...

Just a question of accent. Sorry you found it distracting. *shrug*

Useless fact of the week: Hatori Henzo's assistant is Space Sheriff Gavan, himself something of a sword enthusiast.

(I am old.)