Stories of the Japanese 00591 [Early Kamakura Period] The Hiki Yoshikazu Incident: The Fall of the Hiki Clan*

The strategy devised by the Hojo was highly unconventional: they falsely reported that Yoriie had died while he was still alive. The Imperial Court, having no way to verify the truth, believed it completely. By the time the Hiki were consulting with Yoriie about assassinating Tokimasa, the struggle for the shogunal position had effectively already been decided.
September 2, 1203. Upon learning that Hiki Yoshikazu was plotting to assassinate Tokimasa, Masako immediately reported this to Tokimasa and Yoshitoki. The Hojo clan held a discussion and decided to take immediate action. They resolved to strike down Hiki Yoshikazu before they themselves were attacked.
Tokimasa summoned Hiki Yoshikazu that very day. He claimed that a statue of Yakushi Nyorai he had been commissioning was complete, and he insisted that Yoshikazu attend the consecration ceremony. When Hiki Yoshikazu received this letter and prepared to leave, his retainers said,
“We do not know what might happen, so you should not go. If you must go, please take armed retainers with you.”
This seemed like a reasonable precaution, but Hiki Yoshikazu replied,
“If I go armed, it will only invite suspicion. Surely they want to consult with me about the succession to the shogunate. I will go.”
With that, he left without the slightest suspicion.
As soon as Hiki Yoshikazu entered through the gate, he was immediately struck down by Nitta Tadatsune, who had been acting under Tokimasa's orders.
Upon learning of their master's death, the Hiki clan was enraged; they barricaded themselves in Ichiman's residence and prepared for battle. When Masako ordered,
“The Hiki clan has committed treason. Everyone, suppress them!”
not only the Hojo clan but also gokenin such as Miura Yoshimura, Wada Yoshimori, and Hatakeyama Shigetada gathered one after another. Whether this should truly be called treason is, I think, a delicate matter.
The gokenin surrounded Ichiman's residence, and a battle ensued. Eventually, fire was set to the residence, and the Hiki clan, along with Ichiman and Wakasa no Tsubone, perished in the flames.
The above is the account from the Azuma Kagami, but the historical record Gukansho, written by Jien, provides a different account. It states that Wakasa no Tsubone managed to escape the burning residence with Ichiman, but they were captured and killed by Hojo's men on November 3.
In any case, the two major powers of the Hojo and the Hiki, who had established maternal-relative ties with the Genji shoguns, were destined to fight, and the conflict ended in a Hojo victory. This event is known as the “Hiki Yoshikazu Incident.”
From Hojo Tokimasa's perspective, all that remained was to wait for Yoriie's death and install Senman as shogun, but then an unexpected event occurred. Yoriie, who had been thought to be in critical condition with no hope of recovery, recovered on September 5.