The Sto Sect's Rules on Promotions

In 1613, Japanese shogunate issued a set of religious regulations for the Sōto Zen sect. The rules allowed monks to wear different colored robes as an indicator of rank in the temple system. It was intended to take power away from the imperial court, traditionally the ones who managed these promotions, says Andrew Keen. But it was also meant to create a much clearer structure for the career Sōto speak of monks," he adds.