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.