The word shukuchi (縮地) is a Japanese-language term for various mythical techniques of rapid movement. The characters in the word can be rendered literally as "shrinking the earth," referring to how the technique reduces the spatial distance between two points to achieve its effect.
The word first appears in the Chinese Shenxian Zhuan to describe the ability of the Daoist magician Fei Changfang.
房有神術、
能縮地脈、
千里存在、
目前宛然、
放之、
復舒如舊也。
Fei Changfang has a divine ability,
he can shrink the Earthly veins (meridians).
Be a thing thousand li away,
it would appear right before his eyes.
And if he let the meridians go,
they would turn loose, the way they were.
The term 縮地脈 suōdìmài denotes the power of teleportation attributed to some xiān. Those possessing this ability were believed to be capable of moving vast distances in a single step. The term is sometimes used to refer to a similar ability in Buddhism.
The Japanese terms shukuchihō (縮地法), shukuchijutsu (縮地術) or tonchijutsu (遁地術) are used for the same ability attributed to xian or yamabushi.
In modern Japanese martial arts, shukuchi refers to a sudden movement into an enemy's maai (space) or blind spot to attack. This definition is relatively recent, and is, therefore, used somewhat differently by various schools.
In Korean traditional literature, there are stories of heroes using such mystical techniques. Hong Gildong jeon depicts such a situation.
The ability of chukjibeop (축지법 縮地法) was attributed to North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in the propaganda song "The General Uses Warp!" (장군님 축지법 쓰신다), which also becomes an Internet meme in South Korea. According to a quote in an DPRK official newspaper, the attribution is purely a metaphor for People's War.
Fictionalized versions of shukuchi are common in manga, anime and video games. In this context, it is usually portrayed as short-range teleportation or as the ability to move quickly enough to become invisible.
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