Front planting

Japanese: 前栽 - せんざい

〘noun〙① Plants planted in front of a garden. Also, plants to be planted. Garden plantings. ※Saibaraku (late 7th century - 8th century) Asamiki "The weeping willows of Suzaku in the new capital, or the autumn bush clovers and dianthus planted in front of the fields." ※The Tales of Ise (early 10th century) 23 "My grandmother, <omitted> hiding in the fence." ② A garden with plants planted. In the case of a shinden-zukuri style, it is the front garden of the main hall (shinden). Later, it was a garden with plantings in front of a parlor. ※The Tales of Ise (early 10th century) 51 "Once upon a time, my grandmother, chrysanthemums bloomed in the fence." ※Tsurezuregusa (around 1331) 72 "Something lowly, <omitted> there are many stones and plants in the fence." ③ (Also written as "zenzai") An abbreviation of "senzaimono (things planted in front of a garden)." ※Humorous book, Furyu Junsennin (1760), “Carrying a radish as a burden.” ※Old Lady (1903), by Shimazaki Toson, Volume 3, “When he went out to pick up some vegetables (senzai) .” [Essay history] (1) According to the “Moritsada Manko,” in early modern Kamigata, it was used in the sense of ②.
(2) On the other hand, in the Edo period of the mid-modern era, "maesai" was already being used alone to mean ③. Also, in the Edo period of the late modern era, there are examples such as "maesaimono" ("maesaimono") and "maesaiuri" ("maesaiuri"), which are compound words meaning "vegetable garden" or "vegetables," and are considered to be from the eastern Japanese dialect.

Se-zai [Front planting]

〘Noun〙 (without the glottal stop "n" in "senzai") = Senzai (front blooming) ※Tonbo (around 974) Part 1 "Looking at the various kinds of senzai flowers in full bloom"

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

〘名〙① 庭前に植え込んだ草木。また、植え込むための草木。庭先の植込み。※催馬楽（７Ｃ後‐８Ｃ）浅緑「新京朱雀のしだり柳または田居となる前栽秋萩撫子」※伊勢物語（１０Ｃ前）二三「をとこ、〈略〉せんさいの中にかくれゐて」② 草木を植え込んだ庭。寝殿造りの場合、正殿（寝殿）の前庭。のちには、座敷の前の植込みのある庭。※伊勢物語（１０Ｃ前）五一「昔、をとこ、人のせんさいに菊うゑけるに」※徒然草（1331頃）七二「賤しげなる物、〈略〉せんざいに石・草木の多き」③ (「前菜」とも書く) 「せんざいもの（前栽物）」の略。※滑稽本・風流准仙人（1760）「大根のこときせんさいを負て」※老嬢（1903）〈島崎藤村〉三「裏へ野菜(センザイ)を采りに出ると」[語誌](1)「守貞漫稿」によると、近世上方では②の意味で使われている。
(2)一方、近世中期の江戸では、すでに「前栽」単独で③の意に使われている。また、近世後半江戸での例に、「前栽物」「前栽売り」などの複合語形で菜園・野菜を意味する例が見られ、東日本方言と考えられる。