Arundinaria japonica Siebold & Zuccarini ex Steudel, Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 334. 1854; A. usawae Hayata; Pleioblastus usawae (Hayata) Ohki; Pseudosasa usawae (Hayata) Makino & Nemoto; Yadakeya japonica (Siebold & Zuccarini ex Steudel) Makino.

Culms erect or nodding, 1–3(–5) m tall, to 1.5 cm thick; internodes long, finely ridged, finely mottled, with light ring of wax below each node; nodes slightly raised; sheath scar large. Branches usually 1 per node, without basal buds or branches on that branch, sometimes rebranching from distal branch nodes. Culm sheaths persistent, to 25 cm, basally glabrous, distally appressed hispid; auricles and oral setae absent; blade erect, 2–5 cm, abaxially glabrous. Leaf sheaths glabrous, margins membranous, not ciliate, auricles absent or small, erect; oral setae scarce, erect, or lacking; ligule oblique, long, slightly pubescent, eroded; abaxial ligule glabrous to finely ciliate;blade abaxially light green to glaucous, adaxially dark green, 15–37 × 1.5–5 cm, glabrous; pseudopetiole glabrous. Spikelets curving, narrowly terete, 3.5–10 cm; florets 5–20(–25). Lemma 1.2–1.5 cm, glabrous, often with fine mucro ca. 2 mm; palea nearly equal to lemma, glabrous, keels finely ciliate. Inflorescence not known.

This species is cultivated as an ornamental. It is traditionally used for arrows in Japan.

Yangtze River to Guangdong, Taiwan [Japan, Korea].