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Central 46 Chambers (中央四十六室, chūō yonjūroku shitsu): The Central 46 Chambers serve the Shinigami royalty (the ruling class of all Soul Society). They are made up of 40 wise men and 6 judges, selected from all of Soul Society. They are sealed into an enclave in Seireitei called Seijōtōkyorin (清浄塔居林) which no one else may enter, regardless of their military or civilian status. They serve as a supreme judiciary organization whose authority puts it in direct control of the legal system. They handle all rulings on Shinigami and souls who have violated prohibitions. Their orders are absolute and no decision has been known to be overturned. Shinigami crimes are judged here, regardless of whether they are committed in the Soul Society or the world of the living. In the event of a Shinigami's execution, they even give leave for the Stealth Force or the Gotei 13 to use lethal force. Their justice is harsh and quick. Only one trial has been shown in the manga while all other decisions were revealed to be the manipulations of Aizen. The trial of Kisuke Urahara featured little in the way of defense on the part of the accused and evidence was gathered against the Captain secretly. The evidence in this case was held to be of infinitely more value than the defendants' testimony. The 46 do not take kindly to protests or out of order statements. They clearly exhibit tendencies more in line with a military tribunal than a civilian court.
With their deaths at the hands of Sōsuke Aizen during the Soul Society arc, General Yamamoto has taken over their normal duties. The only Shinigami forces which do not answer to the Central 46 Chambers are the Royal Guard (王属特務, ōzokutokumu; Royal Special Task Force in the English dubbed version), also called the Zero Division (Squad Zero in English), and the Shinigami Academy.
Laws
* It is against the law for a Shinigami to give their spiritual power to Humans.
* It is against the law for a Shinigami to use forbidden Kidō.
* It is against the law for any citizen of Soul Society to create weapons of a dangerous nature not sanctioned by the feudal government. To do so is treason.
* It is against the law to attack a captain. To do so is treason.
* It is against the law to commit terrorist action(s) or attempt overthrow of the balance of Soul Society. To do so is treason.
* It is against the law to commit murder.
* It is against the law to kill a Human that a Shinigami has not been ordered to kill.
* It is forbidden for a Shinigami to acquire or attempt to gain Hollow-like powers.
* It is by ancient law that two Shinigami cannot hold the same Zanpakutō. They must fight for the honor of bearing the spirit, with the spirit going to the winner, and the loser being executed.
* It is against the law for the Gotei 13 to meddle in the affairs of the noble families unless the family in question breaks one of the laws of Soul Society beyond a shadow of a doubt.
* It is a crime for a Shinigami to remain in the Human World longer than a certain time limit.
Punishment
* Exile: Certain crimes allows for the punishment of exile, commonly stripping a Shinigami of their powers and banishing them to the real world.
* Detention: A not-well-known punishment among the citizens of Soul Society is the detention of high-level Shinigami. It is commonly reserved for those who have either broken the law, quit the Gotei 13 or those who just seem dangerous and mentally unstable (as per the government's interpretation). This is carried out by the Onmitsukidō.
There are several forms of executions in Soul Society, although only two have been revealed:
* Spirit-sealing pit: The spirit-sealing pit is an ancient form of execution in which Shinigami criminals are thrown into a pit walled with sekki sekki rock – a type of stone that absorbs spiritual power, preventing those nearby from using their powers. Hollows are then thrown into the pit with the criminals as the means of execution. The practice was considered too barbaric and discontinued.
* Sōkyoku (双): The "ultimate punishment", Sōkyoku is a form of execution usually reserved for those with extremely strong spiritual powers, namely Shinigami captains. The Sōkyoku is a giant halberd that utterly destroys a soul on contact. When released, Sōkyoku takes on the form of a phoenix, its true form, called Kikōō. The Kikōō has the destructive power of one million Zanpakutō, and that power is multiplied by a factor of 10 at the moment it pierces its victim
With their deaths at the hands of Sōsuke Aizen during the Soul Society arc, General Yamamoto has taken over their normal duties. The only Shinigami forces which do not answer to the Central 46 Chambers are the Royal Guard (王属特務, ōzokutokumu; Royal Special Task Force in the English dubbed version), also called the Zero Division (Squad Zero in English), and the Shinigami Academy.
Laws
* It is against the law for a Shinigami to give their spiritual power to Humans.
* It is against the law for a Shinigami to use forbidden Kidō.
* It is against the law for any citizen of Soul Society to create weapons of a dangerous nature not sanctioned by the feudal government. To do so is treason.
* It is against the law to attack a captain. To do so is treason.
* It is against the law to commit terrorist action(s) or attempt overthrow of the balance of Soul Society. To do so is treason.
* It is against the law to commit murder.
* It is against the law to kill a Human that a Shinigami has not been ordered to kill.
* It is forbidden for a Shinigami to acquire or attempt to gain Hollow-like powers.
* It is by ancient law that two Shinigami cannot hold the same Zanpakutō. They must fight for the honor of bearing the spirit, with the spirit going to the winner, and the loser being executed.
* It is against the law for the Gotei 13 to meddle in the affairs of the noble families unless the family in question breaks one of the laws of Soul Society beyond a shadow of a doubt.
* It is a crime for a Shinigami to remain in the Human World longer than a certain time limit.
Punishment
* Exile: Certain crimes allows for the punishment of exile, commonly stripping a Shinigami of their powers and banishing them to the real world.
* Detention: A not-well-known punishment among the citizens of Soul Society is the detention of high-level Shinigami. It is commonly reserved for those who have either broken the law, quit the Gotei 13 or those who just seem dangerous and mentally unstable (as per the government's interpretation). This is carried out by the Onmitsukidō.
There are several forms of executions in Soul Society, although only two have been revealed:
* Spirit-sealing pit: The spirit-sealing pit is an ancient form of execution in which Shinigami criminals are thrown into a pit walled with sekki sekki rock – a type of stone that absorbs spiritual power, preventing those nearby from using their powers. Hollows are then thrown into the pit with the criminals as the means of execution. The practice was considered too barbaric and discontinued.
* Sōkyoku (双): The "ultimate punishment", Sōkyoku is a form of execution usually reserved for those with extremely strong spiritual powers, namely Shinigami captains. The Sōkyoku is a giant halberd that utterly destroys a soul on contact. When released, Sōkyoku takes on the form of a phoenix, its true form, called Kikōō. The Kikōō has the destructive power of one million Zanpakutō, and that power is multiplied by a factor of 10 at the moment it pierces its victim
