The wooden stick used to beat mochi is called a mortar and pestle, and the origin of this name can be traced back to the ancient times of China. The mortar and pestle first appeared in the Qin Dynasty as a tool made of wood or stone used to pound rice, and later evolved into a tool that people used to make patties, pound rice cakes, and other foods. In the process of making mochi, the stick is needed to pound the glutinous rice into a mud-like consistency and make it into a ball. When beating the patties, the glutinous rice needs to be put into a mortar and pestle and continuously pounded back and forth with the pestle, so the stick used to beat the patties is called a mortar and pestle.