According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an accommodation unit and at least one driving roller. The accommodation unit accommodates a paper sheet therein. The at least one driving roller is disposed contactably with the paper sheet. A rotation direction of the at least one driving roller with respect to the paper sheet at a contact part between the paper sheet and the roller intersects a carrying direction of the paper sheet.

A sheet conveying device includes a sheet stacking part, a conveying path and a conveying roller. The conveying roller includes a drive roller and a driven roller which is pressed against the drive roller and is driven by the drive roller to be rotated. The drive roller has a rotating drive shaft and a drive roller body rotatable together with the rotating drive shaft. The driven roller has a rotating shaft and a driven roller body supported by the rotating shaft in a rotatable manner. The driven roller body has a plurality of roller parts which are arranged in an axial direction of the rotating shaft and pressed against the drive roller body.

The present invention provides a medium protection device and a medium separating and stacking device capable of avoiding damage to a medium when moving the medium along a guide. In a banknote cassette, a guide body is attached to a circumferential side face of a central body of a tongue piece roller in a range not provided with tongue pieces. When feeding out banknotes, the banknote cassette stops the tongue piece roller in a retracted state, thereby positioning an outer circumferential face of the guide body in the vicinity of the surface of a front upper curved portion of a hole in the conveyance guide, such that the hole can be placed in an almost completely blocked state. The present invention can accordingly prevent the vicinity of a corner of a banknote from entering the hole, enabling creasing during conveyance to be forestalled.