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.
[1] The word first appears in Shenxian Zhuan to describe the ability of Taoist magician Fei Changfang.
The Japanese terms shukuchihō (縮地法), shukuchijutsu (縮地術) or tonchijutsu (遁地術) are used for the same ability attributed to sennin.
In modern Japanese martial arts, shukuchi refers to a sudden movement into an enemy's maai (space) or blind spot to attack.