Legend says that both he and Hideyoshi were given swords by the Imperial Court after the Battle of Yamasaki; that he frightened the kugeshu (court nobles) by carrying out the investigation of the Akechi party inside the capital; that, at the battle against Hideyoshi, Nagatsugu IINUMA (one of Hideyoshi's vassals) was killed on suspicion of collaborating with Nobutaka, and that after the battle Hideyoshi never employed samurai who had served Nobutaka.
山崎の合戦後に秀吉と並んで朝廷から太刀を授かり、洛中で明智与党の詮議を行い公家衆を震え上がらせていること、秀吉との戦いに際しては飯沼長継など、信孝に内通したとして斬られている秀吉家臣がおり、戦後に秀吉が信孝に仕えた武士を嫌って登用しなかったという事跡も伝わっている。