The present invention is intended to provide an image recognition method which, in recognizing an input image including an object presumable to have continuity like a human figure, enables simultaneously detecting the shape of the object in the input image and cutting-out the object therefrom, and obtaining information on position of the object at the same time, and which also enables recognition of two objects having the same shape but having different sizes. The processing procedure of image recognition according to the present invention consists of: inputting an input frame image of an object by image data inputting means; preparing scaled-down images 1 to n at different resolutions by image size reducing means; calculating neighborhood correlation values for respective scaled-down images 1 to n by neighborhood correlation processing means and checking relationship between them at the same time; calculating the area and the gravity center of each image using pixel values and pixel coordinate value; identifying respective objects at respective resolution on the basis of their relationship; determining shape correlation of each object; and recognizing the shape of each object by comparing the obtained shape auto-correlation with a previously determined reference value.