An optical unit, comprising: a
light source; a color separation means for separating a light emitted from the
light source into plural pieces of color lights; reflection-type
image display elements, upon each being incident the corresponding color of the lights from the color separation means, and for forming an
optical image for each of the color lights, depending upon an
image signal, with using polarization characteristics which the reflection-type
image display elements have; and a color synthesizing means for synthesizing the optical images of the respective color lights, to be projected through a
projection lens, enlargedly, and further comprising: a reflection-type polarization plate functioning as a polarization plate due to
diffraction, being provided on an
optical path extending from the color separation means to the reflection-type
image display elements, to be a
polarizer and an analyzer to the reflection-type image display elements; and an optical
chassis for holding the reflection-type polarization plate and the reflection-type image display elements thereon, and having a translucent window on an incident light side of the reflection-type polarization plate while an exiting light side of the reflection-type polarization plate is sealed with an incident surface of the color synthesizing means, wherein a hermetically sealed space is defined by the optical
chassis, the reflection-type image display elements and the incident surface of the color synthesizing means, and within the hermetically sealed space is disposed a translucent liquid having
refraction index from 1.2 to 1.9.