Katano Spring 2026

Inside the halls of Hoshinosato Iwafune, the familiar rhythmic clicking of turning plastic filled the air across twelve competitive rounds. A total of 142 competitors gathered for the two-day gathering in Katano, Osaka, Japan, on March 21 and 22, 2026. The spacious complex provided the stage for six official World Cube Association disciplines, setting an energetic atmosphere as both seasoned campaigners and enthusiastic newcomers took to the solving stations for a packed weekend of high-level Rubik's Cube action.

Katano Spring 2026 proved to be an overwhelming showcase of veteran excellence, led by South Korea's Seung Hyuk Nahm, who produced a masterclass across five separate puzzles. Nahm showed commanding consistency across the entire schedule, capturing victory in every single event he entered. His weekend was defined by sharp technical precision, managing transitions between small puzzles and large multi-layered cubes without losing momentum across any of the elimination rounds.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a large field of 135 competitors, and the final 3x3 results confirmed Nahm as the class of the field. After posting a blistering single solve of 4.69 seconds, Nahm secured the gold medal with a winning average of 5.30 seconds. Japan's Kantaro Sakamoto claimed the silver medal with an average of 7.26 seconds, while compatriot Takeru Iguchi took third place on the podium with a 7.51-second average.

Nahm continued his sweep into 3x3x3 One-Handed, where 73 competitors battled through two rounds. In a tight contest at the top of the standings, Nahm took first place with an 11.24 average and an 8.68 single. Japanese standout Takumi Kato pushed hard to take second place with an average of 11.36 seconds, followed by Kantaro Sakamoto in third with 11.77 seconds, earning his second podium finish of the cubing competition.

The big cube events saw Nahm further assert his total command over the field. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Nahm took gold with a 21.97 average, well clear of Japan's Yuki Nomura at 26.66 and Australia's Sora Sato at 27.27. Moving up to the 5x5x5 Cube, Nahm posted a winning average of 38.08 seconds, ahead of Sato's 50.06 and Paul Mahvi of the USA, who posted 50.36. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Nahm completed his five-title sweep with an average of 1:10.41, besting Mahvi at 1:33.39 and Tomohiro Kobayashi at 1:34.53.

Away from the top of the podium, several competitors made significant personal breakthroughs across the weekend. Daichi Asanuma entered five events and delivered a standout Pyraminx personal best of 3.48 seconds, which was 24.8 percent faster than his previous mark of 4.63, alongside first career attempts in 5x5x5 Cube with a 1:49.15 and 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 25.35. Hyu Iwata took on four events, logging official first attempts in 4x4x4 Cube with 54.57, Pyraminx with 5.93, and 3x3x3 One-Handed with 28.96.

The depth of progress continued across the lineup as other participants expanded their competitive repertoire. Muku Mitera entered all six disciplines, achieving a weekend-best 13th-place finish in Pyraminx while logging first-ever attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 52.29, 5x5x5 Cube at 1:51.39, and 6x6x6 Cube at 4:00.76. Seiya Matsuyama tackled five events, recording initial official attempts of 37.07 in 4x4x4 Cube, 1:03.77 in 5x5x5 Cube, and 15.45 in One-Handed. Masayuki Yasui completed four events, posting debut results of 5.42 in Pyraminx, 1:14.42 in 4x4x4 Cube, and 20.44 in One-Handed, while Yuma Yamano recorded first attempts of 44.03 in 4x4x4 Cube, 23.94 in One-Handed, and 1:35.19 in 5x5x5 Cube.

The sole event to escape Nahm's grasp was Pyraminx, where local Japanese specialists swept the podium positions. Nice Yoshida took victory with an average of 2.33 seconds, including a round-best single of 1.90 seconds. Hajime Miyazaki claimed second place with an average of 2.46 seconds, and Haruki Tsutsui rounded out the top three with a 2.79 mark in the final round of 65 participants.

Across the two days of speed cubing, Japanese competitors led the medal table with nine podium finishes, while Korea secured five, and Australia and the United States claimed two apiece. The successful delivery of Katano Spring 2026 provided another memorable chapter of speedcubing in the Kansai region, highlighting both veteran brilliance and steady personal advancement as the community looks forward to the next season of WCA competition.

2026年3月21日から22日にかけて大阪府交野市の星の里いわふねで開催されたKatano Spring 2026において、Seung Hyuk Nahm (남승혁)が3x3x3 Cubeで単発4.69と平均5.30を記録し頂点に立ちました。合計6種目12ラウンドが滞りなく実施された本大会は、会場設営からジャッジ、スクランブル、進行管理に至るまで献身的に支えたオーガナイザーやWCAデリゲート、そしてボランティアスタッフの緻密な連携によって実現しました。

今大会には142名の競技者が集い、熱気に満ちたスピードキュービングの週末を創り上げました。Katano, Osaka, Japanの地に集まった選手たちは、運営スタッフの迅速な誘導と正確な計測サポートにより、それぞれの練習成果を存分に発揮できる環境でルービックキューブをはじめとする各パズル競技に挑みました。

Seung Hyuk Nahm (남승혁)の快進撃はメイン種目にとどまりませんでした。4x4x4 Cubeでは平均21.97、5x5x5 Cubeでは平均38.08、6x6x6 Cubeでは平均1:10.41をマークしてビッグキューブ部門を総なめにし、さらに3x3x3 One-Handedでも平均11.24で優勝を飾り、圧巻の5冠を達成しました。

PyraminxではNice Yoshida (吉田名偉主)が平均2.33をマークして接戦を制し見事優勝を果たしました。2位には平均2.46のHajime Miyazaki (宮崎朔)、3位には平均2.79のHaruki Tsutsui (筒井遥規)が入り、日本勢が表彰台を独占する展開となりました。4x4x4 CubeではYuki Nomura (野村優希)が平均26.66で2位に入り、Sora Satoが平均27.27で3位表彰台を獲得しています。

ステージ上の華やかな表彰だけでなく、記録表の随所にも参加者の大きな成長が刻まれました。Tsukasa Ootaは今大会で4種目に挑み、Pyraminxで自己記録を31.3パーセント短縮する4.49の自己ベストを叩き出し、4x4x4 Cubeの初挑戦でも54.29を記録しました。Takumi Fujiwara (藤原拓巳)は6種目にエントリーし、Pyraminxで28.8パーセント短縮の4.64を収めたほか、5x5x5 Cubeにも初挑戦して1:08.49をマークしました。

Takeru Iwasaki (岩﨑尊)は3種目に出場し、3x3x3 Cubeで19.1パーセント更新となる14.23の自己新を記録したほか、Pyraminx初挑戦で8.26、4x4x4 Cube初挑戦で1:09.40を揃えました。Haru Watanabe (渡部遥)は3x3x3 Cubeで15.4パーセント短縮の12.83を記録し、Pyraminxで13.57、3x3x3 One-Handedで21.27の初公式記録を残しました。Satoru Tanaka (田中惺)は5種目を戦い、5x5x5 Cubeで12.6パーセント更新の1:28.87を記録するとともに、3x3x3 One-Handedで29.90、4x4x4 Cubeで44.38を初計時しました。Tokiya Matsuda (松田時弥)も4種目でPyraminxの8.29自己新に加え、4x4x4 Cubeで40.48、3x3x3 One-Handedで19.41の初挑戦を成功させました。

3x3x3 One-HandedではTakumi Kato (加藤匠)が平均11.36で2位、Kantaro Sakamoto (坂本貫太郎)が平均11.77で3位に食い込みました。さらにKantaro Sakamoto (坂本貫太郎)は135名が参加した3x3x3 Cubeでも平均7.26で2位に入り、平均7.51を記録したTakeru Iguchi (井口丈瑠)とともに表彰台を飾りました。

5x5x5 CubeではSora Satoが平均50.06で2位、Paul Mahviが平均50.36で3位となりました。6x6x6 CubeでもPaul Mahviが平均1:33.39で2位に入り、Tomohiro Kobayashi (小林知広)が平均1:34.53で3位に続きました。国別表彰台数では日本が9、韓国が5、オーストラリアが2、アメリカが2という国際色豊かな顔ぶれとなりました。

多種多様なパズルが円滑に進行したKatano Spring 2026は、すべてのラウンドで公平な競技環境を守り抜いたスタッフ陣の尽力によって大盛況のうちに幕を閉じました。2日間にわたるキューブ競技会の熱気は、選手一人ひとりの新たな挑戦と素晴らしい記録の数々によって次なるシーズンへと受け継がれます。