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 another immigrant from Japan, Kaiya. Jonah was born in 1917, making him a second-generation Japanese-American, or Nisei.

Jonah's Aunt Natsuko returned to Japan to marry in 1920, taking her mother with her. While Jonah's grandmother planned only to stay in Japan for a short time, neither 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 1985 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 would die as the result of a family accident in August 1935 while Jonah was visiting family with his mother in Japan. Jonah returned to the U.S. to take over the farm, while his mother Kaiya remained 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.

At their high school graduation picnic in June 1935, Jonah confessed his love to Eden. She had been aware of his interest in her for some time, but had avoided addressing it. Her own feelings were mixed. 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 agreed to give courtship a try. 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 informed him that their relationship could not continue. He avoided being in her presence after that, focusing 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 eventually interned at the Tule Lake internment camp. 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. In 1946, Merton sold Jonah’s farm back to him for the original price of one dollar. Merton returned the number of chickens he had taken home in 1942, including a few of the original group that were still alive.

Vital Statistics

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

Appearances

• Tillamook Guerillas (working title)