Thin-film magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording and method of making the same

A perpendicular recording thin-film magnetic head comprises a main magnetic pole having a tip main magnetic pole part extending in a height direction from a medium-opposing surface and a base main magnetic pole part connected to the tip main magnetic pole part on a side opposite from the medium-opposing surface side and wider than the tip main magnetic pole part in a track width direction; a return yoke extending in the height direction from the medium-opposing surface and magnetically coupling with the base main magnetic pole part at a position distanced from the medium-opposing surface in the height direction, while opposing the tip main magnetic pole part through a write gap layer in a bit length direction in the medium-opposing surface; and a main magnetic pole adjacent magnetic shield layer extending along at least part of side faces of the main magnetic pole other than the medium-opposing surface as seen in a laminating direction, while holding a nonmagnetic layer between the main magnetic pole and the main magnetic pole adjacent magnetic shield layer.