To provide a manufacturing method that increases deformation property of an optically responsive material, composed of a network formed by bonding silicon/metal atoms through oxygen, more without impairing the hardness nor heat resistance of the material by selectively improving the degree of network formation around a photoreaction component.

The optical responsiveness material and its manufacturing method are characterized in that the photoreaction component which causes a matrix material, formed of a network wherein silicon and/or metal atoms are bonded through oxygen, to vary in volume through light operation is incorporated in the matrix material while having covalently bonded to the silicon and/or metal atoms, and the degree of condensation of the silicon and/or metal atoms covalently bonded to the photoreaction component is ≥50 %.