This is an interesting coincidence.
At my bonsai club's meeting last evening, we hosted Tony Tickle who styled a hinoki cypress for us. It was a member's very healthy tree and Tony made a point of showing us where it had grown new branches on old wood. He said that this happens on healthy trees and the method for achieving this is to cut most of the new growth back in the spring. I saw a couple 1"-2" branches and what looked like a lot of buds forming on the old wood.
From everything I hear and experience with my 1 hinoki, I wouldn't have believed it. So it may be possible. Sorry, I have no pics.
CW