Japanese maples are members of the acer family ... in fact Acer Palmatum, Acer Japonicum and Acer Shirasawanum are collectively known as the Japanese maples.
Acer palmatum are the largest family by far
Most of them grow superbly well in pots
The only problem I have ever found with 'burying' a pot is that I then forget to water it
They prefer a well drained and slightly acid soil, but do well in neutral soil
How low do you mean when you say 'low canopy'?
I think acers beside a pond look best if they are low dissectums (those with a dissected leaf) either green or red
You can go for a cultivar or to save money an unnamed seedling would be just as beautiful
This is a green dissectum beside my waterfall. It is about 10 years old