Jonah Shibuya

Jonah Shibuya is a character in the Eden Pond Series.

Biography

Jonah is a close childhood friend of Eden and Harry Pond.

His grandparents immigrated from Japan to the Tillamook Boy in 1905 at the end of the Russo-Japanese War, bringing with them their two children, a son and a daughter. They bought a small farm on the Miami River east 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. Jonah's father married in 1915, and Jonah was born in 1917.

Jonah's aunt returned to Japan to marry in 1920 and did not return to the United States. He has no memory of her, except from letters an a couple of photos.

After the death of his father in 1936, he took over the farm. At that time, his mother returned to Japan to live with her daughter, who had returned to At the outbreak of World War II, Jonah's mother was living in Hiroshima with her daughter and her daughter's family.

Jonah learned for Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 in February 1942 while visiting Eden and Merton in Garibaldo. He left at once to return home, saying only that he needed to make sure the farm was okay. He made Merton promise to look after his land and animals if he was taken away. Eden was unconvinced that would happen, but Merton took him seriously. Jonah was not seen again afterward.

Appearances

• Tillamook Guerillas (working title)