sarashi
A sarashi is a long, winding strip of cloth, usually thick cotton or bandages, wrapped tightly around the midriff up to the chest. Historically, samurai wore them under their kimonos, to resist injury.
An alternative (and nowadays more common) way of wearing a sarashi is wearing it in the style of a tube top; in this case, the bandages wrap around only the chest area in a very nontraditional way while leaving the midriff bare (ie. post #4296298, post #4076845, post #3616420, post #2644312). This sarashi style is especially seen on kendo girls and other fighters.
In anime series, a delinquent character, particularly in the classic older series, will be seen wearing one under their coat or unbuttoned shirt. The wrapping was a visible cue as to their general level of bad-assery. A tomboyish girl may wear one to bind and/or flatten her breasts, especially if she is trying to pass as male.
Specific sarashi tags
- Midriff sarashi - when a sarashi is worn covering the midriff
- Chest sarashi - when a sarashi is worn covering the chest; usually leaves the midriff bare; worn similarly to a tube top
- Budget sarashi - if bandages do not cover the chest adequately
- Undone sarashi - if the bandages are unwrapped