Sōniryō

A governmental body that regulated the lives and activities of Buddhist monks and nuns in Japan. In 624, the Empress Suiko set up its precursor, the sōgōsei (Bureau of Priests), which was later expanded into the Sōniryō. This body had several responsibilities, including registering the names and locations of all monks and nuns, recording deaths, adjudicating lawsuits against clergy, defrocking errant clergy, and so on.

A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004 (which is available in electronic version from answer.com)