Abstract: While the size of a coil is maintained, the performance of the coil is improved. A method for designing a gradient coil includes the step of determining performance value evaluation points between a plurality of coils disposed so as to face each other, and determining a stream function on the basis of the performance value evaluation points and the target field method so as to decrease the value of a polynomial evaluation function containing a term of a simple sum of sizes of current density distribution in coil planes; and the step of disposing a continuous current pathway in the coil planes on the basis of contours of the determined stream function.