Jonah Shibuya

Jonah Shibuya is a character in the Eden Pond Series.

Biography

Jonah is a close friend of Harry Pond, dating back to kindergarten at Garibaldi School. Jonah was also close with Eden, though their relationship is complicated.^{See Spoiler 1 Below}

Jonah’s grandparents immigrated from Japan to the Tillamook Bay in 1905 at the end of the Russo-Japanese War, bringing with them their two children, a son Eiji and a daughter Natsuko. The Shibuyas bought a farm on the Miami River northeast of Garibaldi. Because they were Japanese, they were not welcomed by the local dairy community or cheese making organizations, so they grew vegetables and alfalfa. In 1915, Jonah’s father married Kaiya, the Nisei daughter of another Japanese immigrant family. Jonah was born in 1917, making him like his mother also Nisei, or second-generation Japanese-American.

Jonah’s Aunt Natsuko returned to Japan to marry in 1920, taking his grandmother with her. While Jonah’s grandmother planned only to stay in Japan for a short time, neither she nor Natsuko would ever return to the United States. Jonah had no memory of his aunt and grandmother, and knew them her only from occasional letters and a couple of photos.

His grandfather, Ichiro, died in 1925, at which time Jonah’s father Eiji took over the farm. The property itself had been deeded to Jonah, as an American citizen by birth, in 1920 after the passage of the California Alien Land Law. Though Oregon wouldn’t pass its own Alien Land Law until 1923, the Shibuya family could see the writing on the wall. Though Jonah was only three years old, he “owned” the Shibuya Farm through a trust managed first by his grandfather and then his father.

In May 1935 Jonah was denied access to the Garibaldi High School spring formal at the Fairview Grange Hall in Tillamook because he was of Japanese descent. Eden, who had gone with him as his date, refused to go even though she was told she would be allowed to participate in the event without Jonah.

Eiji Shibuya would die as the result of a farming accident in August 1935 while Jonah and his mother were visiting her relatives in Los Angeles. Jonah returned to Garibaldi to take over the farm, while his mother Kaiya remained in California. A few months later, she would travel to Japan, never to return. Though born in the U.S., her family had kept Japanese tradition growing up, and without her husband she felt more comfortable with life in Japan. At the outbreak of World War II, Kaiya Shibuya was living in Hiroshima with Natsuko’s family.

Jonah learned of Oregon Governor Sprague’s order for all “enemy aliens” to register with the federal government in late January 1942. A few days later, he met with Merton in Garibaldi, at which time he offered to sell the farm to Merton for one dollar and the promise to look after his land and animals if he was taken away. The two completed the transaction without Eden’s knowledge, though later Merton admitted that he’d agreed to "look after the farm" for Jonah. Jonah then went into hiding, not telling anyone where he was.

In the aftermath of the Grange Hall incident in May 1935, Jonah confessed his love to Eden. Her own feelings were confused. She felt a longstanding responsibility for both her brothers which didn’t leave room for romantic entanglements—but were she to get involved with anyone, it would have been Jonah.

Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she continued to see him. Still, she struggled with allowing herself to get close. Later in the summer, Jonah pressed her, insisting she make a decision about whether she would return his feelings. He told of plans to travel to Japan with his mother to visit family, and wondered if there would be a reason to come back. Feeling guilty, Eden tried to open herself up to him. The night before he and his mother were to leave, they had sex for the first and only time. While Jonah was in Japan, Merton fell into a deep depression and Eden realized she needed to care for him. When Jonah returned after his father’s death, she told him that because of her family responsibilities she couldn’t pursue a relationship with him. He avoided her after that, even neglecting his friendship with Harry. He focused on his farm instead. He never showed any interest in any other women, even the daughters of a couple of the Japanese oystermen who had been friends with his father.

After Jonah disappeared, Eden feared the worst. She’d seen the “Japanese Hunting Licenses” and heard talk about what locals would do if they came upon a “Jap,” but Merton seemed confident Jonah would be okay. Unbeknownst to her, Merton was helping Jonah hide out in the forest. Merton intentionally didn’t tell her what he and Jonah were up to in order to protect her, though when she found out she was furious that they wouldn’t trust her.

Mid-1942 and After

At the end of Tillamook Guerillas Jonah was taken into custody and interned at the Tule Lake Portland Assembly Center]. He would later go on to serve as an interpreter with the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS), finally returning to Garibaldi after the war. It wasn’t until Oregon’s Alien Land Law was overturned in 1949 that Merton sold Jonah’s farm back to him for the original price of one dollar, though Jonah lived on and worked it after his discharge from the army—a technically illegal act under the 1945 land law that was nonetheless not enforced by local officials. Merton returned the number of chickens he had taken home in 1942.

Jonah and Eden renewed their relationship after the war. They would marry in 1952 after the repeal of Oregon’s anti-miscenegation laws.

Vital Statistics

Date of Birth: 9 May 1917
Date of Death: —

Significant Locations

• Shibuya Farm

Appearances

• Tillamook Guerillas (working title)