Invented by the Japanese women in the 8th century AD, it can express any native Japanese word. It's useful for writing poems like haiku, as it allows only one way of reading, unlike kanji. It is in much heavier use now, as the kanji stops being as remarkable sign of tough knowledge as before. See also Katakana.
At the tournament after the preliminary rounds, the teams were put into two separate divisions based on their success during the earlier rounds. I found the irony that the winning teams were put into the WHITE DIVISION while the losing teams were put into the BLACK DIVISION to be "hilaracist" as I couldn't help but to laugh and share the giggles with practically everyone nearby.