The "Kibana-akigiri" (Salvia nipponica) belongs to Lamiaceae (the Mint family). It is a perennial herb that is distribued southward from Fukushima prefecture of Honshu to Shikoku and Kyushu in Japan. This herb grows in hillsides or montane open woods, forest edges, and can reach 20-40 cm in height. The stem is quadrangular. The leaves are deltoid-hastate and arranged in opposite. The stems an leaves are covered with soft hairs. The pale yellow flowers bloom from August to October. It is also known as "kotoji-so", which refers to the shape of its leaves, which resemble "kotoji" (bridge of a koto).