1. An image recognition apparatus comprising: first and second cameras provided so as to produce a parallax, for shooting in respective visual fields; edge detecting means for detecting edges in a first input image that is supplied from the first camera; matching means for extracting, as a reference pattern, a portion in the first input image that includes at least part of a detected edge and for conducting matching between the reference pattern and a second input image that is supplied from the second camera using a pattern matching method; and object recognizing means for recognizing an object in the visual fields of the first and second cameras, based on a matching result.