PURPOSE: To facilitate regulation of the damping force of a shock absorber at the very low speed area and the low speed area of a piston speed.

CONSTITUTION: A piston 4 is fixed to the tip of a piston rod 3 by means of a nut 5 togetherwith a stopper 9, a retainer 6, a disc spring 7, a non-return valve 8, leaf valves 21 and 22, and valve seats 10 and 11, and communicating passages 12 and 13 through which upper and lower chambers 14 and 15 are intercommunicated are provided. The leaf valve 22 for a middle and high area the inner peripheral side of which is nipped between the valve seat 11 and the seat surface 24 on the inner peripheral side of the piston 4 and the leaf valve 21 for a very low speed and a low speed area freely supported between the leaf valve 22 and the piston 4 are arranged on the lower chamber 15 side of the communicating passage 13. A shoulder part 25 is arranged on the seat surface 24 on the inner peripheral side of the piston 4.