Though Nagashige was a daimyo, he was also good at swordplay and from when he was young he trained at the Shinkage-ryu school and Itto-ryu school in Ono faction, and it is said that his swordplay manner was feared being called 'tough style' since he was young.
大名ながら、若い頃から剣術は新陰流、小野派一刀流の達人で、その剣風は若い頃から「手強風」と呼ばれて恐れられたという。