I would guess the same. In fact this is the only way, in my opinion.... ...I imagine you employed clip and grow to achieve this design, really nice.
Yes basically clip and grow with a little wire here and there. Their biggest problem is that they constantly put out multiple buds from the same place so you must constantly remove them as soon as you see them. @sorce, Sometimes you have to go back with knob cutters and remove...well the knobs. It's taken me many years to just get to this stage but the colour in autumn makes it all worth it. All I want to do now is increase ramification (duh) and round off the apex
To my opinion, you're leaning to the correct direction, if I may say.Autumn update... The question now is to wire the branches down and make another boring ''Japanese'' styled tree, or jus continue to let it grow the way it wants (with clip and grow only)? I'm leaning towards the latter