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The Reed grass (Phragmites communis) belongs to Poaceae (the Grass family). It is a perennial herb that is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, but Japan is the northern limit of its distribution. This herb grows in lakesides and riverside marshes, and can reach 1.5-3 m in height. The leaves are linear and weeping. The large panicle is borne and bloom pale purplish spikelets from August to October. In the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), it was originally called "Ashi", as in "Ashi-hara no Nakatsu-kuni" (Central Land of the Reed Plains). However, due to the influence of the Kotodama belief, the word "ashi" is said to have come to mean "bad", and so the word "yoshi" (good) has come to be used.
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