To provide an image processing unit that obtains a magnified image with high quality regardless of a simple configuration.

Each of pluralities of smoothing means 105 for interpolation purpose has a different characteristic such that a frequency band is limited up to a Nyquist frequency in each of horizontal, vertical and inclination directions, a steep low pass characteristic in a prescribed direction is provided and a slow low pass characteristic is provided in a direction orthogonal to the prescribed direction and so on. Gradient information acquisition means 103, 104 divide a 2-dimension input image signal into pluralities of blocks and obtain how directions or angles of gradient vectors of an image included in each block are distributed. Pluralities of the smoothing means 105 are selected depending on the distribution information and used selectively.