Abstract: A bearing device for a rotary shaft is comprised of a porous sliding bearing and a felt ring fit around the sliding bearing. The sliding bearing and the felt ring are filled with lubricant oil. The felt ring is made of needle-punching polypropylene fibers of 0.4-20 micrometers in diameter. The felt ring is manufactured by shaping the polypropylene fibers into a felt sheet, heat-treating the felt sheet to eliminate fuzz from the sheet surfaces, and punching the felt sheet in a ring shape. The sliding bearing has a plurality of grooves on its outer peripheral surface with which the felt ring contacts. Each groove is formed to extend in a horizontal direction to restrict the lubricant oil from flowing downward.