To directly detect a load input to a damper.

A damper 10 with a load detection function has a cylinder 20, a piston 22 which slides inside the cylinder 20, a piston rod 24 which has one side connected to the piston 22 and the other side projecting from the cylinder 20, and a coil spring 26 which is placed between the other side of the piston rod 24 and the cylinder 20. A first spring bearing 28 has a load cell 32 as a load sensor for detecting a load of the coil spring 26. The load cell 32 lies between the first coil bearing 28 placed in the lower periphery of the cylinder 20 and the coil spring 26, and a spring force of the coil spring 26 is directly transferred to the load cell 32. Application to an automatic washing machine 11 allows calculation of a load of laundry thrown into a tumbling barrel 12 in accordance with a detection signal from a strain gauge 34 to accurately set the amount of water, detergent, softening agent and so on to be supplied.