To provide a shot peening method capable of excellently improving the tooth flank fatigue strength of a gear material, and to provide a gear material using the same.

In a shot peening method, a shot material having a granular diameter within a range of 0.05-0.3 mm and hardness which is set higher than that of a tooth flank within a range of 50-150 HV is shot, under a condition wherein the air pressure is 0.2-0.6 MPa, to the tooth flank of a gear material having hardness of 750 HV or more in the tooth flank at a depth position of 25 μm from a surface and having a surface roughness Ra in the tooth flank previously set within a range of 0.01-0.4 μm.