noun
residence for low-ranking samurai police (Edo period)
Historical term for a residence area assigned to low-class samurai serving in Edo-period police forces, such as 与力 or 同心.
江戸時代、組屋敷には与力や同心が住んでいた。
In the Edo period, yoriki and dōshin lived in the kumiyashiki.
A lower-ranking samurai police officer who might reside in a 組屋敷.
Compound of 組 (kumi, 'group, squad') and 屋敷 (yashiki, 'residence, mansion'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it refers to a residential compound for a group of low-ranking samurai officials.