Tawashi (タワシ) is a Japanese scrubbing brush, used to wash off dirt, grime, and stainles. Because the Tawashi is hard, durable and waterproof, it is suitable for washing kitchen equipment, bathrooms, shoes, and anything else that does not get damaged by this kind of bristle.  The bristles are softer than the metal in kitchen knives, so it can also work well for cleaning off knives and handles. It should not be used for delicate soft items. Initially when tawashi came to market, they were made from a specific kind of palm bristle (Trachycarpus).  However around the end of the Taisho era and the beginning of Showa era, the Trachycarpus palm became scarce, and other types of palm began to replace it.

We recommend tawashi for cleaning off your pots and pans, knives, and hands.  They also look very cool ;)