Historically, omiai signified that the parties were brought together expressly for the purpose of marriage on the initiative of the parents, a friend of the family, or a go-between. It also meant that the initial criteria of selection were objective ones. The potential mate and their family met with the go-between ("nakōdo") and examined all eligible persons. The nakōdo often had photographs of candidates and a '"rirekisho"', a small personal history. The rirekisho frequently included the name, age, health, education, occupation and marital status of all members of the candidate's family.