
With a Fine Brush
Takada Restores the Lost Art of the Tawashi Brush
- Writer Kate Missine
- Photos Courtesy of Tawashi
The soft, flexible bark of the windmill palm tree, or shuro, has long been used in Japan for making brooms and tawashi, or body scrub brushes. The use of this local material for brushmaking has dwindled and was nearly lost with time until TAKADA, a Japanese manufacturer that has been handcrafting finely textured tawashi brushes for over 70 years restored the traditional practice.
Using windmill palm trees growing naturally in the Kishu region in Wakayama prefecture, a few select, skilled craftsmen specially harvest the fine bark. No post-harvest chemicals such as pesticides or disinfectants are used in the process. The bark is delivered to the workshop soon after gathering, ensuring freshness, and giving the brushes their signature luster and texture. Despite their rough appearance, Takada’s body brushes are surprisingly soft and supple, making them an essential self care accessory.
The elongated body brush comes on a convenient, curved cypress handle and can be used in two ways: for gentle exfoliating and invigorating as part of the bath or shower routine, or as a dry massage brush, stimulating circulation and improving energy flow through the body.
Inspired for a Beautiful Life
Related Articles


Qiviuk: A Fabric Generations in the Making
A quest for the world’s most luxurious fibre.


From one Renaissance to another
“It is well cut, my son; now, it must be sewn up.” It was on this final utterance to her son Henri III, that the “Queen Mother”, Catherine de’ Medici, passed away in her castle at Blois. About ten leagues – as the crow flies – from the Château de Chenonceau, it was there that …


Home for the Holidays
Get cozy at home with heartfelt tokens of comfort, warmth, and timeless tradition


When Fine Crystal Meets Fine Wine
Crystalmaker Lalique turns a 400-year-old château and winery into a hotel where the French ‘art de vivre’ thrives.