Shukuchi

The word shukuchi (縮地), sometimes written shukuchihō (縮地法) or shukuchijutsu (縮地術), is a Japanese-language term for various techniques of rapid movement. The characters in the word can be rendered literally as "shrink earth method", referring to the way the technique reduces the spatial distance between opponents.[1]

Historical use

Shukuchi is the Japanese word for the power of teleportation attributed to some sennin and xian. 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 Buddhist belief.

Appearances

In martial arts

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.

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.

Manga and anime

Son Goku, the main character of the Dragon Ball franchise, is seen performing this feat as a child[2] and eventually masters the art of teleporting when an adult.[3] In addition, Seta Sōjirō from Rurouni Kenshin[4] and various characters in Negima!: Magister Negi Magi employ such techniques. Also, in the manga and anime Prince of Tennis the shukuchi method is used by players of the Higa Middle School from Okinawa to give the illusion of moving from the baseline of a tennis court to the net in a split second.

Video games

Weaver, a character from the popular video game Dota 2, has an ability called Shukuchi, which allows it to become invisible and run with very high movement speed for a short period of time.[5] In the Square Enix MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, the Ninja job has an ability called Shukuchi which allows the user to move extremely quickly to a targeted location, almost teleporting. In the Touhou Project series, the sennin Toyosatomimi no Miko has a technique called Shukuchi Cape, which allows her to teleport.[6] In the video game Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, the character Ryoma Hoshi mentions this technique as a way to escape others quickly.

References
  1. Daijirin (Japanese Dictionary) entry for 縮地
  2. Dragon Ball, vol. 11, chapter 127. ISBN 1-56931-919-7.
  3. Dragon Ball Z, vol. 12, chapter 142. ISBN 1-56931-985-5.
  4. Watsuki, Nobuhiro (2005). "Chapter 133". Rurouni Kenshin, Volume 16. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-854-6.
  5. "Weaver". Gamepedia. Curse, Inc. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  6. Twilight Frontier; Team Shanghai Alice. Hopeless Masquerade.


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