PURPOSE: To provide an inexpensive, highly reliable and novel direction detector.

CONSTITUTION: This is an apparatus for detecting a direction of a movable part 10 supported in a rotatable fashion to a fixed base part 3. An arc-shaped first groove 6a, a second groove 6b like an arc of a smaller diameter than that of the first groove 6a, and a third groove 6c connecting a gap between the first and second grooves straight are provided on an upper surface of the base part 3. An engaging pin 31 projecting at a position closer to a rotary end of a switch lever 30 rotatably provided at the movable part 10 is slidably engaged with the groove 6. Two switches 33R, 33L are arranged via a part 30b closer to the rotary end of the switch lever 30 of the movable part 10. When the engaging pin 31 is inside the third groove 6c, two switches are in the same state. When the engaging pin 31 is in the first or second groove 6a or 6b, the two switches 33R, 33L are turned ON and OFF or OFF and ON, i.e., in the opposite states.