To develop a dwarf turfgrass (Zoysia japonica) cultivar with artificial mutation-induced breeding method, the wild type control "Gosan" plants were exposed to a 30 Gy gamma ray source in 2010. The mutant lines showing short height were selected from successive generations. One of the resulting dwarf lines obtained was registered under the cultivar name of “Halla Green 1” (2016). The dwarf phenotype of the Halla Green 1 includes a reduction of the height by 4.5-fold, an increase in leaf and third internode lengths by about 6- and 2.3-fold, respectively, compared to the Gosan, and approximately 2.4-, 3.8-, and 1.5-fold relative to the Zenith, respectively. In addition, the Halla Green 1 had a sheath of darker green coloring compared to the light green Gosan and Zenith. The leaf blades of Gosan, Zenith and Halla Green 1 were all light green, whereas their stolons were purple, yellow-green and light purple, respectively. Trichomes presented on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces of the Gosan’s leaves, and only on the adaxial side of the Zenith’s leaves, but none on the Halla Green 1 leaves. The Halla Green 1 exhibited sufficiently distinct morphological traits when compared with the wild type Gosan and Zenith that the dwarf phenotype enhances its commercial viability.