Hirosawa Yasuto (広沢安任)
Yasuto HIROSAWA (February 24, 1830 - February 5, 1891) was a feudal retainer of the Aizu clan (now Fukushima Prefecture) lived in the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate during the late Edo period. He was a child of Shosuke HIROSAWA. Because his common name was Tomijiro, he was widely known in the name of Tomijiro HIROSAWA.
In accordance with the appointment of the Aizu domain Lord Katamori MATSUDAIRA as Kyotoshugoshoku (Military governor of Kyoto, to counteract the growing Sonno Joi (the 19th century slogan advocating reverence for the Emperor and the expulsion of foreigners, which was centered in Kyoto) in 1862, HIROSAWA moved to Kyoto in advance to the arrival of the lord Katamori in order to investigate the situation of Kyoto. After Katamori's arrival in Kyoto, HIROSAWA was assigned to koyokata (the section of local domain which is in charge of dealing with all works related to the bakufu central government and the Imperial seat) to promote interactions with Kugyo (Court nobles), feudal retainers of domains, and Shinsengumi (a group who guarded Kyoto during the end of Tokugawa shogunate). After the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, he remained in Edo (present Tokyo) to plead with the restoration government to understand the situation of Katamori returning to Edo and Aizu, but he was imprisoned by the new government army. After released by the government in 1869, he devoted himself to promote regional growth; when he became a junior councilor of Tonami Prefecture (soon incorporated into Aomori Prefecture) established by Haihan-chiken (abolition of feudal domains and establishment of prefectures enacted by new government), he exploited Western style pastures in Yachigashira (present Misawa City) for those retainers of the Aizu clan suffering from extreme poverty since the reduction and transfer of Aizu Domain to a wasteland Tonami as Tonami clan (reorganized as Tonami Prefecture and soon incorporated into Aomori Prefecture by Haihan-chiken).