The cover of a recent book featuring hamsters’ posteriors.
 
Sekai Bunka Publishing Inc.
Hamsters in Japan are going where not even top supermodels have dared to go before–into the pages of books featuring photographs of their rear ends.
Two books devoted to images of hamsters’ posteriors have already sold nearly 40,000 copies combined in Japan, according to the publishers, with a third book set for release later this month. Fans of the craze have coined the term “hamuketsu,” which combines “hamster” and “ketsu,” or buttocks in Japanese.
“The photos in the book are all shots of hamuketsu,” Yukako Minami, a spokeswoman at Sekai Bunka Publishing Inc., said. The company released “Kawaisa-ni Monzetsu Hamuketsu,” or “Hamuketsu–So Cute You Could Faint,” on April 19, with an initial print run of 7,000 copies. “We’ve had multiple reprints and already shipped 30,000 copies total” since then, Ms. Minami said.
The cover of Basilico Co.’s book, “Hamuketsu.”
 
Basilico Co.
The 72-page collection features all kinds of hamsters in a variety of sizes and colors, but in each case the creature’s backside faces the camera. Male hamsters appear to be more popular because they have bigger and rounder buttocks, according to the publisher. The pictures of furry roundness help “soothe the hearts” of viewers, said Ms. Minami.
Publishing company Basilico Co. printed 15,000 copies of its book, simply titled “Hamuketsu,” on March 12. The 96-page photo book has already sold more than 7,000 copies.
It’s another example of Japan’s interest in things seen as “kawaii” or “cute,” a subjectJapan Real Time has visited from time to time without fully imagining where the obsession might turn next.
Takeshi Takahashi, a spokesman at Basilico, said he couldn’t stop staring at his company’s publication.
“The great thing about hamuketsu is that it is delightfully cute.  I can’t stop smiling when I see these butts,” he said.
A third photo book, “Ganso Hamuketsu,” or “The Original Hamuketsu,” will be published by Arimine Shoten Shinsya Co. on May 30.