AusBonsai

I'm with Gavin, my thoughts are to just accentuate the curves and continue them to the top, and shorten the branches. I would also bring the branches down on a tighter angle.

Craig, I only have Sundays free so perhaps we can work on it one saunday soon.

Craig--
I would side with Jarrod on giving some heavy bending a go....(especially because it seems like the canopy is solid). I think we have some 8mm wire at the club and yes we'll have raffia. Aside from the bending challenge, I can't help feeling that some of the virts and issues/suggestions are an attempt to make the tree fit the pot to some degree. Pup's virt works IN THAT POT. The one contributed by Webos, I believe, is also an improvement on the original.... I tried putting a thumb over the pot on some of the jpegs and the result was seeing far wider potential...... and some that seemed to work initially looked less attractive with the pot covered. Maybe a virt with different pot variety? Just a thought.

Thanks for all the suggestions and the virt, Webos the angle you have put the branches at is exactly what I have in mind. With regards to the branches I have done no work on them since the tree has returned to me, My Idea is to make them very short and to have the foliaged very tightly pinched as seen on the needle junipers the Japanese grow. Come spring when it really starts to move then I will heavily prune and wire it and drop all the branches. The crown certainly needs sorting out and some jin work might be nice. I like the look of a very short jin emerging from the foliage at the top of the tree as seen in lots of John Naka trees. I reckon the end result will be a combination of many of the ideas you have given me.
Craigw

Hi Craig heres a virt I have another in mind ill get that to you once done.

Craig i agree with your idea totally i think this tree is the perfect candidate for it. In some of the old bonsai today mags there are plenty of examples of this, tight foliage pads, multiple jins and branches higher up on the tree which are longer than lower ones which seem to work very well. Its defiantly doable and i think it would make this tree come into its own

Thanks for the virt Skip its great and is pretty close to what I had in mind.
Noah I have seen some of these trees in Japan and they are amazing usually 2-3 man lifts. I think your right in saying I can get something pretty close to this look with the juniper.
Craigw