A sport of the species, H. venusta, this cultivar is from Japan and was registered by Peter Ruh of Ohio in 2002 and re-registered with new data in 2018. It is a miniature size hosta growing to only 3.5 inches in height and spreading about 6 inches wide. The leaves are light green with a narrow yellow margin. They are ovate, slightly cupped, flat, dull on top and slightly shiny on the bottom. Lavender flowers with white stripes bloom from mid-August into September on scapes 11 to 13 inches tall followed by viable seeds.

The registration materials state: "...small, tight, compact, clump; variegated...obtained from Gotemba Nursery, Japan"

The New Encyclopedia of Hostas by Diana Grenfell (2009) states in its Miniature Hostas chapter: "Keep in a pot until the root system is well established. Best grown in a container, sink, or trough with other tiny hostas. Slow to increase and not easy to maintain in vigorous growth...The scapes tower above the low-growing leaf mound."

An article about H. 'Kinbotan' by Warren I. Pollock in The Hosta Journal (2001 Vol. 32 No. 1) states that, "This is a miniature brought from Japan by Hideko Gowen...It is about the size and form of H. venusta with green leaves edged with a narrow gold margin...The tiney blooms in early summer are purple. Kinbotan translated from Japanese to mean "gold button"..."