In spring of 2004 the branches were edited and the big scars were worked over with a die grinder.
The tree looks like a big ugly toad afterwards. When I presented these pictures on the net it got a mixed acceptance. Some said 'megalomania'! And also 'as ugly as can be, this is the end of bonsai art'. Well, how about thinking that this might only be the beginning. Did not all bonsai begin by looking kind of ugly. Yes, but the ugliness is not that huge normally.