noun
loan association; mutual financing association
A traditional Japanese mutual financing group where members contribute regular payments and take turns receiving the pooled funds. The term is somewhat dated; modern equivalents are often called 無尽会社 or simply 無尽.
昔は無尽組合で家を建てる資金を調達した。
In the past, people raised funds to build a house through a loan association.
Compound of 無尽 (mujin, 'inexhaustible' or 'mutual financing') and 組合 (kumiai, 'association'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term refers to a traditional rotating savings and credit association.