I attached photos of my progress so far. I don't know which side should be the face. Or what style direction to go in.. Also what about that second trunk? Should I keep it or lose it?
Any tips would be wonderful, thanks.

Cdh wrote: Any tips would be wonderful, thanks.

Decide on a style BEFORE you start working on a tree.

I woldnt call it a Second trunk. More a branch. But in my opinion it is out of proportion and on the wrong place. So I would cut it sooner or later. However, leaving it as a sacrificial branch a few years to help thicken the trunk might be an option.

Br
Magnus

Auk is right. Take the style desicion first. There are a few options.

The "second trunk" might be the only trunk in the future. But that depends on how good that tree is on backbudding. I have no experience in shimpaku so I dont know, but Auk knows for sure, so listen to what he have to say about that.

Br
Magnus

Yeah.. got a little too eager. Did I screw anything up too bad? I think I may just leave it alone and study more.

As for style I was thinking maybe the windswept style would suit this tree.

Go with Auk.

In general, plan your work, work your plan. Spend a lot of time looking a the tree. If it isn't really obvious what the plan for the tree should be, wait till next year.

Cdh wrote: Yeah.. got a little too eager. Did I screw anything up too bad? I think I may just leave it alone and study more.

Not really. However, some might say you went about it the wrong way around. I know many websites claiming you need to remove the inner foliage. And to some extend this is true. However, you want to keep as many viable branches that do not interfere with eachother as possible. So in the first cleanup you typically only remove dead and very weak branches. You have done much more, resulting in very little green close to the trunk.

It being an ittoigawa that will sort itself out. It will create new growth inside once more light enters to the main branches and trunk.

What you can do next time to get a better overview is thin out the canopy, removing all brnaches haning down and thinning the rest to have regular left-right side branch pattern.

Most important however it to have a plant. To really look into the structure of the tree, decide what you wnt to make from the tree and work towards that.

Bonsai are not created in one sitting, so take your time.

Cdh wrote: Yeah.. got a little too eager. Did I screw anything up too bad?

Sorry, since I placed that comment I think I should respond: Nope, you didn't.

Thanks