Patent ID: 8444552

Claim:
An endoscope, comprising: a manipulation unit; and an insertion unit that is disposed in continuation to the manipulation unit and that includes a bending portion, wherein the insertion unit, in the bending portion, comprises: a plurality of articulation wheels coupled in succession; and a plurality of shaft members, each shaft member including a guide part formed with an insertional hole through which a wire is inserted, wherein two adjacent ones of the plurality of articulation wheels are coupled by the shaft member so as to be relatively turnable around the shaft member on a direction crossing a center axis of the bending portion, wherein the bending portion is bent in such a way that the wire which leads to the manipulation unit via the plurality of articulation wheels is tractively manipulated, wherein at least each guide part of the shaft member is turnable around a center axis of each shaft member, to both the two articulation wheels which are coupled by the shaft member, wherein each of the plurality of articulation wheels comprises a coupling part formed with a shaft hole throw which the shaft member is inserted, wherein two adjacent articulation wheels are coupled in such a way that the shaft member is inserted through the shaft holes of respective coupling parts which are placed one over another, wherein said each shaft member includes a pair of nip parts which pinch at least one of two coupling parts placed one over another, in a direction of a placement of the coupling parts, wherein a gap is provided, in the direction of the placement, between the pair of nip parts and the coupling part pinched by the pair of nip parts, and wherein said each shaft member further includes a secured part which is secured to one of the two coupling parts placed one over another, and the guide part is separated from the secured part and is supported by the secured part so as to be turnable around the center axis of the shaft member.