trying to look up the etymology on this one came up dry. I get the “doing” part, but why “grass”?
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Another way to write しぐさ is 仕種, where 種 can mean “type” or “kind.” Presumably 草 got swapped in for the latter part since it comes to mind as くさ, even though 種 can be read as くさ.
Seemingly illogical replacement of kanji with sound-alikes is common.
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Adding to what Leebo already said, Wiktionary explains on the origin of 種 that
Possibly derived from or cognate with 草 (kusa, “grass”), from the way grass is grown from seeds, hence their origin.
It’s hard to attest whether it is a true cognate but at least from the meaning, both have a primary meaning relating to a plant. It might be that 種 didn’t get swapped for ‘illogic’ reasons (hence, as Leebo points out, it’s only ‘seemingly’ so) but because these two are actually pretty similar, not only in sound but also in meaning.
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