No, Chiba and Kashima are not the same plant. Kashima does not have the cup shape to the leaves, with lobes much more flat with no raised edges with lobe tips that nod, whereas Chiba holds its lobe tips erect. The lobe incisions of Kashima are much finer than Chiba with much more deeply cut lobe serration. Chiba is pretty much the same shade of color of green as Sharp's Pygmy. Kashima is a lighter shade of green with some yellow undertone highlights in some areas. Kashima has a larger sized Spring leaf than Chiba. Another aspect that separates these two Maples is that once Chiba leafs out it will not send out any more new growth until mid to late Summer and will again send out another flush in the Fall when grown here [some areas in Oregon only see one more flush of new growth after the Spring leaf out from Chiba.] Kashima can send out up to two more flushes of new Spring growth both here and in Oregon after initial leaf out and then will stop (rest) for a while until mid to late Summer. Jim
Here are a couple of images of the plant Jim described above. This was labeled 'Kashima' but it is certainly not that.
