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A powerful vassal of the early Kamakura Shogunate. Adopted son of Yoritomo's wet-nurse Hiki-no-Ama, he held deep ties with Yoritomo and became a pillar of the nascent shogunate. His daughter Wakasa no Tsubone became a concubine of the second shogun Yoriie and bore the heir Ichiman, securing the Hiki clan's position as maternal relatives of the shogun. In 1203, when Yoriie fell gravely ill, Hojo Tokimasa plotted to eliminate the Hiki. On September 2, Yoshikazu was lured to the Nagoe Hojo residence under the pretext of a Buddhist service and assassinated on the spot. Hojo forces immediately stormed the Hiki residence in Hikigayatsu valley, annihilating the clan after fierce resistance. His daughter Wakasa and six-year-old grandson Ichiman also perished. Only his youngest son Nohon survived and later, as a disciple of Nichiren, founded Myohonji temple on the former site of the Hiki residence to memorialize the clan.

A statesman who supported the nascent shogunate between the Minamoto and the Hojo. He wielded influence as maternal kin through his daughter, the shogunal concubine, but failed to foresee Hojo Tokimasa's machinations, leading to his clan's destruction.

The Hiki Incident was the decisive event that shifted the Kamakura Shogunate's power structure toward Hojo dominance. The tragedy of Yoshikazu and his clan is still quietly remembered at temples and shrines in Hikigayatsu such as Myohonji and Jakushi-do, and lives on in the legend of his daughter Wakasa as a vengeful spirit.