Shiba Inu’s zokingake technique may not be the best but it is the cutest.


Even prior to Marie Kondo helping to make it world-famous, Japanese society has always found pride in a tidy home. Maybe it’s an extension of the care that many Japanese people into their persona grooming, or maybe it’s just that having small living spaces means that keeping them clean is the only way to keep them comfortable too.

And now it looks like that desire to clean has spread to the country’s dogs as well, or at least to Shiba Inu Kumakichi (kumakichi_511 on Instagram), who appears to be scrubbing the floor of his home in Chiba Prefecture.

As he zips by with a cloth pinned under his front paws, Kumakichi’s posture mimics that used in zokingake, a unique Japanese cleaning method employed for hardwood or tile floors, like this classroom.

Kumakichi has been roundly praised by online commenters for his adorable industriousness, and lest you think this is some instinctive motion that’s common to the breed, here’s a video of a different Shiba who, when given a cleaning cloth, decides to just chill instead of pitching in with the housework.

However, while Kumakichi has been called a very good boy, he’s not necessarily such a good housekeeper. His owner points out that while it looks like he’s doing zokingake, he’s not really applying enough pressure to the cloth for any significant scrubbing action to take place.

▼ He’s also not likely to master using the vacuum cleaner anytime soon, if this video is anything to judge by.

But then again, as a pet, Kumakichi’s only real job is to look cute and make his owners smile…

…and it looks like he’s doing a fine job of those.

Source: Instagram/kumakichi_511 via IT Media