Gripping mechanism and transportation article conveyance device

A gripping mechanism attached to a moving body so as to grip and convey a transportation article, comprising:

• a rotating body provided so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis;
• a first arm and a second arm disposed so as to be separated from the rotation axis by the same distance, with the rotation axis as a center, in order to grip the transportation article;
• and
• a width adjusting mechanism which engages with the rotating body, the first arm and the second arm and which is configured such that the first arm and the second arm move toward the rotation axis in the case where the rotating body rotates about the rotation axis in a predetermined direction, and the first arm and the second arm move away from the rotation axis in the case where the rotating body rotates about the rotation axis in a direction opposite from the predetermined direction.