Method of manufacturing mechanical element and mechanical element

A method of manufacturing a mechanical element, comprising:

• a first step of forming a mechanical element that has a sliding surface, which constitutes machinery, applying an arithmetic surface roughness Ra=1.6 μm or less as a target value, by precision machining;
• a second step of subjecting the sliding surface of the formed mechanical element to surface processing, applying an arithmetic surface roughness Ra=0.4 μm or less as a target value;
• and
• a third step of grinding down protrusions on the sliding surface of the mechanical element subjected to surface processing with a grinding agent composition containing ceramic particles with oil, embedding the ceramic particles in cavities on the sliding surface of the mechanical element, and fixing and retaining the ceramic particles in the cavities by a van der Waals force, such that the ceramic particles remain stably in the cavities after completion of the grinding step and during subsequent sliding operation of the mechanical element, wherein the ceramic particles each has a hardness higher than a hardness of the mechanical element and is 0.01 μm or more and 0.5 μm or less in particle size.