To provide a ribbon winding structure and a recorder in which an unexpected trouble is not induced in a ribbon drive unit or a motor even if an undue force is applied to a ribbon winding roller or a ribbon winding shaft.

In the ribbon winding structure where a ribbon winding shaft 50 is fitted to a ribbon winding roller provided in an ink ribbon cartridge and driven to wind an ink ribbon by means of the ribbon winding roller, the ribbon winding shaft 50 is formed retractively in the axial direction such that the ribbon winding shaft 50 is fitted to the ribbon winding roller at the projecting position and disengaged from the ribbon winding roller at the retracting position.