Ritsu' consisting of 6 volumes which was equivalent to a criminal law followed Toritsu (codes in the Tang era) almost as it was, but 'Ryo' consisting of 11 volumes which was equivalent to a present-day administrative law and the Civil Code was compiled by amending Torei (codes in the Tang era) so as to conform to actual conditions of Japanese society while following it.
刑法にあたる6巻の「律（りつ）」はほぼ唐律をそのまま導入しているが、現代の行政法および民法などにあたる11巻の「令（りょう）」は唐令に倣いつつも日本社会の実情に則して改変されている。