ENGINE STARTING DEVICE AND ENGINE STARTING METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restart an engine earlier without directly detecting backward rotation of an engine.SOLUTION: An engine starting device includes: a crank signal generation means (13); and an engine control means (10) for identifying a predetermined crank position of a crankshaft based on a crank signal and starting the engine. The engine control means estimates, in a course of stopping the engine when a stop condition of the engine is established, and based on an engine rotational speed at the identified predetermined crank position, whether or not the engine rotates backward before reaching the predetermined crank position for a next time; and after estimating that the engine rotates backward, the engine control means sets an inhibition range which is prescribed from a starter drive inhibition start timing to a starter drive inhibition reset timing, and a permission range which is other than the inhibition range; and when the restart condition of the engine is established during rotation of the engine, the engine control means inhibits restart in the inhibition range and carries out the restart in the permission range.