The aim of this paper is to give a brief account of the history of the household analysis, focusing on the following two aspects: 1) the development of the Nouka-keizai-chosa (the survey of farming household budget) in pre WWII Japan, 2) the formation process of the Nouka-shutai-kinko-ron (the subjective equilibrium theory of the farm household) as the theoretical backbone of the Nouka-keizai-chosa.
In this history Masao Ohtsuki played the crucial role. In 1921, being concerned in the estimating process of the schedules of the Nouka-keizai-chosa, he keenly felt the need of innovation of agricultural bookkeeping system, and further, the need of an appropriate theory for Japanese peasant economy. He thus visited Prof. Laur, a Swiss scholar, at his institute for agricultural bookkeeping system for a year. At that institute Ohtsuki discovered the research of some years before of a Russian agricultural economist, Prof. Chayanov. Under the influence of Chayanov's theory of the Russian peasant economy Ohtsuki was able to develop his own theoretical thought.
In 1950s and 1960s the theory was presented by O. Tanaka and C. Nakajima, Otsuki's former students and his successors at the Kyoto University, at international conferences. They played a certain role on formation of the household analysis method in the development economics.
