Research into the educational power of budo in Eastern Europe : A focus on a former soldier from the Yugoslavia Conflict

Abstract

In contemporary budo studies, budo education that aims for personal development presupposes the theory of the mind-body relationship with a holistic view of both dimensions. A characteristic of this method is the emphasis placed on the physical body with a “body → mind” vector in which the body changes the mind. The educational objective of psychological influences is to deepen and enhance the mind. The mind is defined as having two kinds of spirituality: “artistic and seeking of a Way” and “ethical and moral”. It is generally accepted in Japan that the educational power of budo is based on this logic.

The purpose of this research is to examine whether the logic of budo identified here is applicable outside Japan. In other words, the question “Can the educational power of budo work overseas?” will be examined using specific and extreme international examples.

Not much time has passed in Eastern Europe since the regime change in 1989 and the outbreak of the Yugoslavia Conflict in 1991. There is a man who has experienced walking the line between life and death, but who is still young and in good health. He has been practising budo for a long time as a means of spiritual nourishment. The subject of this research is Soldier-A, a former combatant in the Yugoslavia Conflict.

In this research, transcripts of an interview conducted for a Hungarian radio programme, memoirs written voluntarily by the subject, a transcript of a ZOOM interview, and email interviews were analysed.

A qualitative analysis of the aforementioned text was conducted in the conventional philological method, and the thought process of the subject was clarified.

Soldier-A, formerly a combatant in the Yugoslavia Conflict, started budo mainly due to his poor family environment. He then served as s a sniper during the conflict. Soldier-A has experienced killing enemy combatants in mortal combat, and this ultimately led to a sense of alienation after the conflict, as well as suffering from sleep disorders and nightmares, mental problems and suicide attempts. It became clear that budo helped Soldier-A overcome these problems.

This paper confirmed that extreme mental disorders developed through wartime experience that required therapy can be helped through the practice of budo. Soldier-A’s example shows that budo training can lead to the restoration of humanity in a manner similar to which has already been proposed by earlier scholars in Japan.

Thus, in this case study from Eastern Europe, we could confirm that the logic of budo education, as touted in budo studies, in Japan is applicable outside Japan as well. In other words, “The educational power of budo works overseas.”

Furthermore, it is possible to develop through budo in Christian cultures. Japanese martial arts philosophy also functions in the Descartesian world of mind-body dualism. As practice progresses, it becomes apparent that “artistic and seeking of a Way” was followed by “ethical and moral,” and likewise that the content of “artistic and seeking spirituality” deepened and evolved as the practice progressed.