Tree Design Help Needed

the old front -


the old back -



this is a Japanese maple. the informal upright trunk top was lost 2 years ago. highlighted is a possible successor for a new top. i'm not sure that's the way to go. any ideas on how to proceed?

thanks.

(I'm not sure what yu want. The front doesn't seem to have changed, though you only show two sides, but the back is uninteresting in the photo. It looks like this tree is well on its way to being a nice informal upright.

it's just that the new leader is so much thinner than the trunk it will probably take over 5 years for it to thicken enough. I guess that shouldn't deter me. also some branches are way too thick. will remove them and wire and wait 5 years.

Prune selectively. There are too many branches now. Work on the apex and major branches during your next 5 years. Then work on finer branching in the next 5 years.

I think the design and the front here
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