The Book of Five Rings - 2026 ACF Regionals

Question

Miyamoto Musashi won a duel against Sasaki Kojiro, in which he carved an oar into a practice weapon and killed Kojiro with a single strike to the skull. Answer some questions about his life, for 10 points each:

[10h] Musashi wrote this work on strategy and philosophy based on the five Japanese Buddhist elements. Its final book, “Void,” ends: “Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness.”

ANSWER: The Book of Five Rings [or Go Rin no Sho]

[10e] Musashi’s technique of Niten Ichi-ryū, translating as “two heavens in one,” refers to his innovation of fighting with both a short wakizashi and a long katana, two types of this class of weapon traditional to the samurai.

ANSWER: swords [or tō]

[10m] The only record of Musashi in a battle outside of duels is from the Shimabara Rebellion, whose aftermath included a ban on traders from this country. Traders from this country began the nanban trade at Tanegashima.

ANSWER: Kingdom of Portugal [or Reino de Portugal]

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Summary


California (South)	Main Site	Y	4	22.50	100%	100%	25%
Canada	Main Site	Y	10	15.00	100%	40%	10%
Lower Mid-Atlantic	Main Site	Y	1	20.00	100%	100%	0%
Lower Mid-Atlantic	Main Site	Y	6	13.33	100%	33%	0%
Midwest	Main Site	Y	8	17.50	100%	38%	38%
Northeast	Main Site	Y	5	16.00	100%	40%	20%
Overflow	Main Site	Y	3	20.00	100%	100%	0%
UK	Main Site	Y	12	21.67	100%	75%	42%

Data


UC Santa Barbara	Arizona State	10	10	10	30
Toronto Metropolitan	Carleton University	0	10	0	10
McMaster A	Guelph	0	10	10	20
Toronto B	Queen's	10	10	10	30
Liberty B	NC State B	0	10	10	20
Toronto D	Brock	0	10	0	10
Toronto E	Simon Fraser	0	10	0	10
Toronto F	Waterloo B	0	10	0	10
McGill B	UBC A	0	10	0	10
UBC B	Ottawa	0	10	10	20
Waterloo A	McGill A	0	10	10	20
Toronto G	Western B	0	10	0	10
North Carolina A	Liberty C	0	10	0	10
North Carolina C	Liberty A	0	10	0	10
VCU	South Carolina A	0	10	10	20
North Carolina B	South Carolina B	0	10	0	10
Virginia	Virginia Tech A	0	10	10	20
William and Mary	Virginia Tech B	0	10	0	10
UCSD C	UC Irvine	0	10	10	20
UCLA A	UCSD B	0	10	10	20
UCSD A	UCLA B	0	10	10	20
Chicago D	Chicago B	0	10	0	10
Chicago A	Chicago C	10	10	10	30
Indiana B	Chicago E	0	10	0	10
Harvard A	Bowdoin A	0	10	10	20
Southern Connecticut State	Bowdoin B	0	10	0	10
Brandeis A	Harvard B	0	10	10	20
MIT	Brandeis B	10	10	0	20
Brown	Yale	0	10	0	10
Carleton College	Iowa State	0	10	10	20
Missouri A	Georgia Tech A	0	10	10	20
Claremont	Washington A	0	10	10	20
LSE	Birmingham	0	10	10	20
Imperial A	Cambridge A	0	10	10	20
Cambridge B	Manchester	10	10	10	30
Cambridge C	Oxford C	0	10	10	20
Durham	Imperial B	0	10	0	10
Edinburgh A	Bristol	10	10	10	30
Edinburgh B	Southampton A	0	10	0	10
Imperial C	Cardiff	10	10	10	30
UCL	Montpellier	0	10	0	10
Oxford B	Southampton B	0	10	10	20
Oxford A	Warwick A	10	10	10	30
City St. George's	Warwick B	10	10	10	30
Illinois A	Illinois C	10	10	0	20
Northwestern B	Indiana A	0	10	10	20
Purdue B	Northwestern C	10	10	0	20
Notre Dame B	Northwestern D	0	10	0	10
Purdue A	Illinois B	0	10	10	20