A thin-film magnetic head structure has a configuration adapted to manufacture a thin-film magnetic head configured such that a main magnetic pole layer including a magnetic pole end part on a side of a medium-opposing surface opposing a recording medium, a write shield layer opposing the magnetic pole end part so as to form a recording gap layer on the medium-opposing surface side, and a thin-film coil wound about the write shield layer or main magnetic pole layer are laminated. The main magnetic pole layer has an end face joint structure where respective end faces of the magnetic pole end part and a yoke magnetic pole part having a size greater than that of the magnetic pole end part are joined to each other, and a surface with a flat structure on a side closer to the thin-film coil.