A fluorophor comprising, as a main component, an α-type sialon crystal which contains at least an A element (wherein A represents one or more elements selected from among Mn, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Er, Tm and Yb), an M element (wherein M represents one or more elements selected from among Li, Na, Mg, Ca, Y, La, Gd and Lu), Si, Al, oxygen and nitrogen, and is represented by the general formula: (Mx, Ay)(Si12−(m+n)Alm+n)(OnN16−n) (1) m=δM×x+δA×y (2) 0.2≦x≦2.4 (3) 0.001≦y≦0.4 (4) and 0.5×m