Orientation of a liquid crystal is controlled by first forming a phase boundary of the liquid crystal between a monoaxially anisotropic phase where the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in one direction and a higher temperature phase between a pair of base plates, transforming a part of the higher temperature phase adjacent to the phase boundary under cooling into the monoaxially anisotropic phase where liquid crystal molecules are aligned in parallel with the liquid crystal molecules in the already formed monoaxially anisotropic phase, and successively causing the phase transformation in the direction perpendicular to the phase boundary.