Here is the result of a trunk chop I consulted the forums about several days ago. I slipped the tree into a more suitable akadama mix without disturbing the root ball too much. It isn't in the photo, but I applied cut paste to the wound after I was certain it was dry. Thank you to all who participated/gave advice.

Well done!
I like the looks of the soil and now instead of having an ugly mallsai you have a fat little trunk for a shohin.

Its back budding everywhere now! Glad I took the plunge and thanks again for the advice.