Piezoelectric/electrostrictive ceramics are provided, which exhibit only a small change in properties after polarization, high insulating properties, and narrow variations in durability. A piezoelectric/electrostrictive element (1) has a laminated structure in which an electrode film (110), a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film (112), another electrode film (114), another piezoelectric/electrostrictive film (116), and another electrode film (118) are laminated in order of mention on a thin portion (104) of a substrate (102). The piezoelectric/electrostrictive films (112, 116) are ceramic films that include a perovskite oxide containing lead as an A-site component and magnesium, nickel, niobium, titanium, and zirconium as B-site components. Crystal grains in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive films (112, 116) have a core/shell structure with the shell portion having a higher concentration of nickel than the core portion and with the core portion having a higher concentration of magnesium than the shell portion. Such piezoelectric/electrostrictive films (112, 116) can be formed by firing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive material powder synthesized from a columbite compound.