Perhaps My Last — A 21st Year Challenge
Hello. I am Kazuyuki Ishihara, a garden designer.
This may be my final challenge at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
I have been competing for 21 years. It has never been an easy stage. Yet I want to stand on my own two feet and see it through.
That is why I am reaching out to all of you — to raise funds and to find comrades who will build a garden with me on-site.
What Others See as Waste Became My Treasure
"13 Gold Medals." "The man praised by Queen Elizabeth." I am introduced that way more often now.
But I started as a small florist in Nagasaki Prefecture. Even now, I am simply a florist.
In 2004, when I first competed at Chelsea, I had no money.
I sold my family home and raised 25 million yen. It still wasn't enough.
I rummaged through rubbish bins at the venue. I gathered discarded bricks and crates to build my garden.
People may have pitied me. But what I thought was:
"The world's rubbish bins are a treasure trove."
Instead of lamenting what you lack, create the best with what you have.
That is my origin story.
Florists Have a Greater Purpose
I have been competing for 21 years and became the world's best.
But one day, I noticed something.
"Florist" had vanished from the list of dream careers for Japanese children.
I found that about 80 flower shops close every year in Japan.
Unprofitable. Too demanding. No dreams.
That reality broke my heart.
I have fought on the world stage.
Because I believe that being a florist carries a deeper purpose.
I cannot speak English. Yet I have exchanged warm words with Queen Elizabeth, King Charles, and heads of state from around the world.
Why? Because flowers and greenery serve as a universal language.
Unfortunately, most people in Japan still don't know about this magnificent competition.
But I want to show that florists do far more than sell flowers.
That is why I have kept competing at Chelsea. And I have kept delivering results.
Thanks to your support, I have repeatedly been recognized as one of the world's best.
In 21 years of competing since 2004, it costs over 100 million yen every year.
People casually say "Do it again next year," but even with sponsors, building a garden costs over 100 million yen. The rest must come from my own pocket.
So why do I keep going?
In the world of gardens, to compete at the greatest show on Earth — where even the King attends — as a "gardener" is a life's pride.
And last year, I reached a major turning point.
Passing the Torch — From Father to Son
In 2025, my son Jun won a Silver-Gilt Medal at Chelsea.
I was overjoyed. Truly overjoyed.
But at the same time, I felt as though he was telling me: "I'm ready to carry on."
No matter how old you are, you should always have a dream for the future.
That is why, for the 2026 competition, I have decided to take on a monumental challenge — one that only I can achieve, something no one has done before.
The 2026 Entry: "The Garden of Sanumaya"
The garden I will present at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show is called "The Garden of Sanumaya."
There once was a kimono shop called "Sanumaya," home to a large family. Inside was a tokonoma (a traditional Japanese alcove), from which one could gaze upon beautiful scenery.
Because the family was large, the tokonoma was sometimes used as a dining area, and when important guests visited, it became a parlor where people would admire the garden and converse.
Amid beautiful scenery, the family gathered, the community gathered — it was a special place where rich, warm moments flowed.
Today, such tokonoma-centered living has become rare. That is precisely why I want to re-examine the value of the tokonoma and propose a "Tokonoma Garden" — a modern space that nurtures family togetherness and community connection.
When a beautiful garden exists, people gather and hearts connect.
In this era especially, don't we need such spaces?
With that conviction, I am heading to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. I hope you will come see my garden.
Achieving World Peace Through Flowers
My next challenge: world peace.
Some may think that sounds absurd.
Of course, I don't think I can do it alone.
But I want to be one step toward a more peaceful world.
I have decided to dedicate the rest of my life to the creed: "Achieve world peace through flowers."
In fact, I am a second-generation atomic bomb survivor.
Born and raised in Nagasaki, I grew up surrounded by the shadow of war.
I did not experience the war directly.
But the scars it left were undeniably real.
That is why I feel this so deeply:
I want to leave behind a world free of conflict for the next generation.
Money that may have been used to hurt people is transformed into flowers and greenery.
Throughout my career, I have carried the hopes and funds of many supporters into my challenges.
To receive money that might otherwise have caused harm and sublimate it into flowers —
I am convinced this is a path to world peace that only a florist can walk.
"Flowers can become the language that stops conflict."
Flowers: A Universal Language That Crosses Borders
This is what I have come to believe.
If we could create flower-and-greenery tourist destinations across Japan and host children from around the world —
children from China, Russia, America —
could any nation easily attack a country where their children are?
I'm not aiming to be a politician.
But if I can help create a peaceful world through flowers, that is the contribution I can make.
I will pursue world peace through flowers.
A Decision to Create the "Future"
What I am striving for is not just building gardens.
It is creating a society where children can "eat their fill and dream big."
If surplus funds are generated from this project, they will be invested in the next generation and used for activities like children's cafeterias.
You can buy a tower apartment, a yacht, an airplane.
But you cannot buy the "future."
The moment a child discovers a dream.
The moment Japanese culture is passed on to the next generation.
It all begins with someone's decision.
I will take on my final challenge.
What kind of future will you choose to leave behind?
I hope you will join me in this dream.
How Funds Will Be Used & Schedule
Your generous contributions will be carefully allocated to the following:
- Rising material transport costs: Due to global circumstances, container shipping costs have more than doubled.
- On-site construction crew travel & accommodation: Expenses for an elite team of approximately 15 members to create the ultimate garden.
- Local procurement of plants & materials: Costs for sourcing uncompromising materials on-site.
[Schedule]
・April 2026: Materials shipped (Japan → London)
・Early May 2026: Team arrives on-site, construction begins
・Mid-May 2026: Chelsea Flower Show opens, judging
・Late May 2026: Results announced, open to public
