Practical and pretty: Tawashi brushes made from the fibers of the windmill palm have been used in Japan for centuries. For 70 years, Takada's artisans have been handcrafting tawashi brushes one at a time, using materials harvested from trees cultivated in Wakayama Prefecture, in southwestern Japan. "While scrubbing brushes are usually rough and thick and made of synthetic fibers," the company says, "tawashi brushes don't scratch the surface being washed.