According to a book "Kaijo Monogatari" (the Kaijo Story), during his years in Akashi, Musashi fought with Gonnosuke MUSO, the patriarch of Shinto Muso-ryu School of Jo-jutsu (art of using a stick as a weapon).
『海上物語』ではこの時期、夢想権之助（神道夢想流杖術開祖）と明石で試合したことが伝えられている。