Yuzen-en Garden

Located in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward near the entrance of Chion-in Temple, the Yuzen-en Garden is dedicated to Miyazaki Yuzen, a famous painter of folding fans in the Edo-period. He invented Japan’s unique and best-known traditional dyeing process: the Yuzen-style.

The Yuzen-style dyeing process involves drawing designs on white fabric with paste and dyeing the fabric in a wide variety of colors. Once the fabric has been cut into a kimono shape, a rough draft is drawn using an Aobana (or blue flower) colorant that washes out without leaving a trace.

The Yuzen-en Garden was redesigned in 1954 and now consists of two ponds connected by a stream. The garden is best visited during the autumn season when its maple trees turn red.