Mitsuba Higashikata

Mitsuba Higashikata (東方 密葉) is a minor character featured in JoJolion. She is the wife of Jobin Higashikata and the mother of Tsurugi Higashikata.

Appearance
Mitsuba is a woman of average to slim build. She has short, medium-colored hair with sideswept bangs curled upward. Her outfit consists of a shirt with two cutouts on her upper chest and a checkered skirt. She also wears a pair of heels.

In her later appearance, her bangs are no longer curled upward and her hair is longer on the sides, now covering her ears to hide her skin hardening to stone. She wears a short sleeve top with knots on the shoulders, shorts, wristbands, a long transparent dress, and a pair of high heels. Her shirt is adorned with a downward arrow symbol, whereas her wristbands have symbols with arrows pointing both upward and downward.

It is revealed that Mitsuba has had different parts of her body successively turning into stone due to her treatment at the University Hospital. At first it was her teeth but then her scalp above the right ear, and currently, both of her legs are crumbling to the bones.

Personality
Mitsuba is a vain woman, caring a lot about her appearance and wanting to look perfect. She also demonstrates some petty selfishness, as she closes the door of an elevator before an old woman can enter just so she can have it to herself.

History
Mitsuba is introduced as Jobin's wife by Norisuke Higashikata IV during Josuke's arrival at the Higashikata Household. She is seen carrying around her child, Tsurugi, and was present during the family photo.

Background
In her school days, Mitsuba was known as "Miss Cherry". She won a contest and got to travel to China and Europe for the fruit of Japan. She ended up meeting Jobin, and married into the Higashikata family. She then became a model for the Higashikata Fruit Company's ads. She had support from the whole family and her modeling helped with sales as well.

Equivalent Exchange and the University Hospital
Shortly after a fire has ravaged the Higashikata family's orchard, Mitsuba arrives at the nearby university hospital to see her doctor about a problem she has had with her hearing that morning. Although the doctor claims she is perfectly healthy, Mitsuba says she can no longer hear out of her right ear, thinking it's due to anaphylaxis from her allergies. The doctor examines her, and finds that the part of her skull around her ear has turned to stone. Despite that, he tells her she is perfectly fine. Mitsuba does not believe him, as she had breathing difficulties that morning and lost consciousness, but when she awoke she felt as if her right ear had turned to stone. She explains how the doctor has helped her in the past, lifting her sagging breasts, but afterwards her teeth felt as if they were stone and she couldn't keep herself from drooling, forcing her to cover her mouth and not talk to others. After her teeth treatment by the doctor, the issue with her ear began days later. The doctor continuously assures her she is fine. However, Mitsuba insists that she knows her son will say something when he sees her ear is now stone and begs her doctor to make her look perfect. The physician makes a phone call and decides to offer one more treatment, for the price of 200 million yen. Later, while Yasuho Hirose is waiting in the hospital herself, she sees Mitsuba being taken to another room in a wheelchair, and that her ankles have apparently crumbled away, leaving only stony bones connecting her feet to the rest of her legs.