Traditional Chinese Massage Tool?

I am not sure if this is a traditional Chinese massage tool but I believe it is. It is about four and a half inches high by four and a half inches at the base.

Does anyone know what the white material at the ends is? I imagine the head is made of some kind of burr and the rods are iron. Any guess on the type of tree?

 

looks like tango nut....toangu ...tuanga.....?????

( I'm getting fed up with Mac's auto correct..)

 

Tagua nut.

 

Those nuts look bad for your teeth.

 

Vegetable ivory - I would strongly advise against biting the stuff, even raw. But yep, tagua nut.

 

Isn't the big one at top a burl? I think you mean the smaller white ones are tagua nuts.

 

Not necessarily. The big one looks like tagua nut too. They come that size.

 

Yes, all tagua - the lower ones with the outside layer almost entirely removed; the upper one with most of the outer layer remaining.

 

I wonder what the characters are. Maybe a signature? Does anyone on the forum read Chinese?

 

It may be Peruvian.

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