Trying to create JTable with proper row header

Solution 1:

Using this HeaderRenderer as the first row column renderer may produce the effect you want:

Addendum: I've updated the example to reflect your sscce with a manual layout. My platform's getSystemLookAndFeelClassName() is com.apple.laf.AquaLookAndFeel, so I'm not seeing the same result. Two observations: You've already setAutoCreateRowSorter(false) to prevent the sorting widget from proliferating, and Nimbus retains it alternating row highlight.

import java.awt.Component;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
import javax.swing.JTable;
import javax.swing.table.JTableHeader;
import javax.swing.table.TableCellRenderer;

public class MyTableExample3 extends JFrame {

    private JScrollPane scrollPane;
    private JTable table;

    public MyTableExample3() {
        initComponents();
    }

    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    private void initComponents() {
        this.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        table = new javax.swing.JTable() {

            @Override
            public Component prepareRenderer(
                TableCellRenderer renderer, int row, int col) {
                if (col == 0) {
                    return this.getTableHeader().getDefaultRenderer()
                        .getTableCellRendererComponent(this, this.getValueAt(
                            row, col), false, false, row, col);
                } else {
                    return super.prepareRenderer(renderer, row, col);
                }
            }
        };
        table.setAutoCreateRowSorter(false);
        final JTableHeader header = table.getTableHeader();
        header.setDefaultRenderer(new HeaderRenderer(table));

        table.setModel(new javax.swing.table.DefaultTableModel(
            new Object[][]{
                {"Row 1", "Data 2", "Data 3", "Data 4", "Data 5"},
                {"Row 2", "Data 6", "Data 7", "Data 8", "Data 9"},
                {"Row 3", "Data 10", "Data 11", "Data 12", "Data 13"}
            },
            new String[]{
                "", "Col 1", "Col 2", "Col 3", "Col 4"
            }));
        scrollPane = new JScrollPane(table);
        this.add(scrollPane);
        pack();
    }

    public static void main(String args[]) {
        java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {

            @Override
            public void run() {
                new MyTableExample3().setVisible(true);
            }
        });
    }

    private static class HeaderRenderer implements TableCellRenderer {

        TableCellRenderer renderer;

        public HeaderRenderer(JTable table) {
            renderer = table.getTableHeader().getDefaultRenderer();
        }

        @Override
        public Component getTableCellRendererComponent(
            JTable table, Object value, boolean isSelected,
            boolean hasFocus, int row, int col) {
            return renderer.getTableCellRendererComponent(
                table, value, isSelected, hasFocus, row, col);
        }
    }
}

Solution 2:

maybe

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.UIManager.*;
import javax.swing.event.*;
import javax.swing.table.*;

public class JTableRowHeader {

    private JFrame frame = new JFrame("JTable RowHeader");
    private JScrollPane scrollPane;
    private JTable table;
    private DefaultTableModel model;
    private TableRowSorter<TableModel> sorter;
    private JTable headerTable;

    public JTableRowHeader() {
        table = new JTable(4, 4);
        for (int i = 0; i < table.getRowCount(); i++) {
            table.setValueAt(i, i, 0);
        }
        sorter = new TableRowSorter<TableModel>(table.getModel());
        table.setRowSorter(sorter);
        model = new DefaultTableModel() {

            private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

            @Override
            public int getColumnCount() {
                return 1;
            }

            @Override
            public boolean isCellEditable(int row, int col) {
                return false;
            }

            @Override
            public int getRowCount() {
                return table.getRowCount();
            }

            @Override
            public Class<?> getColumnClass(int colNum) {
                switch (colNum) {
                    case 0:
                        return String.class;
                    default:
                        return super.getColumnClass(colNum);
                }
            }
        };
        headerTable = new JTable(model);
        for (int i = 0; i < table.getRowCount(); i++) {
            headerTable.setValueAt("Row " + (i + 1), i, 0);
        }
        headerTable.setShowGrid(false);
        headerTable.setAutoResizeMode(JTable.AUTO_RESIZE_OFF);
        headerTable.setPreferredScrollableViewportSize(new Dimension(50, 0));
        headerTable.getColumnModel().getColumn(0).setPreferredWidth(50);
        headerTable.getColumnModel().getColumn(0).setCellRenderer(new TableCellRenderer() {

            @Override
            public Component getTableCellRendererComponent(JTable x, Object value, boolean isSelected, boolean hasFocus, int row, int column) {

                boolean selected = table.getSelectionModel().isSelectedIndex(row);
                Component component = table.getTableHeader().getDefaultRenderer().getTableCellRendererComponent(table, value, false, false, -1, -2);
                ((JLabel) component).setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.CENTER);
                if (selected) {
                    component.setFont(component.getFont().deriveFont(Font.BOLD));
                    component.setForeground(Color.red);
                } else {
                    component.setFont(component.getFont().deriveFont(Font.PLAIN));
                }
                return component;
            }
        });
        table.getRowSorter().addRowSorterListener(new RowSorterListener() {

            @Override
            public void sorterChanged(RowSorterEvent e) {
                model.fireTableDataChanged();
            }
        });
        table.getSelectionModel().addListSelectionListener(new ListSelectionListener() {

            @Override
            public void valueChanged(ListSelectionEvent e) {
                model.fireTableRowsUpdated(0, model.getRowCount() - 1);
            }
        });
        scrollPane = new JScrollPane(table);
        scrollPane.setRowHeaderView(headerTable);
        table.setPreferredScrollableViewportSize(table.getPreferredSize());
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
        frame.add(scrollPane);
        frame.add(new JButton(new AbstractAction("Toggle filter") {

            private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
            private RowFilter<TableModel, Object> filter = new RowFilter<TableModel, Object>() {

                @Override
                public boolean include(javax.swing.RowFilter.Entry<? extends TableModel, ? extends Object> entry) {
                    return ((Number) entry.getValue(0)).intValue() % 2 == 0;
                }
            };

            @Override
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
                if (sorter.getRowFilter() != null) {
                    sorter.setRowFilter(null);
                } else {
                    sorter.setRowFilter(filter);
                }
            }
        }), BorderLayout.SOUTH);
        frame.pack();
        frame.setLocation(150, 150);
        frame.setVisible(true);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {// UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
            for (LookAndFeelInfo info : UIManager.getInstalledLookAndFeels()) {
                if (info.getName().equals("Nimbus")) {
                    UIManager.setLookAndFeel(info.getClassName());
                    break;
                }
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            //e.printStackTrace();
        }
        EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {

            @Override
            public void run() {
                JTableRowHeader TestTableRowHeader = new JTableRowHeader();
            }
        });
    }
}

Here it is with system Look and Feel-