To vary contrast without significantly deteriorating brightness of projection images.

A lighting optical system 100 is used for an image projection apparatus for guiding a light flux from a light source 101 to an image display element 110 through the lighting optical system and projecting a light flux from the image display element to a face to be projected. The lighting optical system includes: a light flux division means 106 for dividing the light flux from the light source into a plurality of light fluxes and forming a plurality of light source images on the plurality of the light fluxes; a condensing means 109 for superposing the plurality of the light fluxes from the light flux division means on the image display element; and light flux control optical systems 103-105 arranged closer to a light source side than the condensing means and compressing the light fluxes. The light flux control optical system includes two or more optical elements, and modifies a compression rate of the light fluxes by moving at least the two optical elements of the two or more optical elements in an optical axis direction.