Goro, Shôwa period, dated 1974

Goro, Showa period, dated 1974, depicts the kabuki character Soga no Goro — the younger of the two Soga brothers whose vendetta against their father's killer was one of the most celebrated revenge narratives in Japanese popular culture. Goro was typically depicted as a young, hot-blooded warrior, his impatience and passionate commitment to vengeance contrasting with his older brother Juro's more measured approach. Mori's rendering would have captured the character's characteristic theatrical energy — the bold aragoto posture, the fierce expression, the elaborate costume that marked him as a figure of noble spirit.