A short arc type mercury lamp in which a cathode and an anode are disposed opposite one another inside an arc tube, at least a noble gas and mercury are filled into the arc tube, cathode contains thorium oxide, a cone-shaped part that continues on from a cathode body is formed on the cathode, and a protruding part that continues on from the cone-shaped part is formed, wherein the number of grain boundaries on a straight line that passes through the approximate center of an arbitrary section in the radial direction of the protruding part is at least 0.5 per mm but not more than 100 per mm.