The evolution of the shell structure around N = 28 is described by the shell-model calculation using an effective interaction based on the monopole-based universal interaction. Performing shell-model calculations, we successfully describe the configuration mixing and deformation from which the shell evolution in this region is well clarified. The reduction of the proton spin-orbit splitting from N = 20 to 28 is dominated by the tensor force and is quantitatively reproduced well in terms of the distribution of the spectroscopic factors. This reduction also brings about a large oblate deformation in 42 Si. The location of the neutron 0g 9/2 orbit in Ca isotopes is identified by their 3 − 1 states. §1. IntroductionThe change of the shell structure, often referred to as the shell evolution, has recently attracted much theoretical and experimental interest in the physics of exotic nuclei. 1) The understanding of the shell evolution has been greatly advanced in terms of the nuclear force since it was pointed out that the tensor force, accounting for the evolution of the energy levels in the Sb isotope chain, 2) causes the change of the spin-orbit splitting.3) The shell-evolution picture due to the nuclear force becomes more complete when the central force is included. It has been found 4) that a simple Gaussian central force has successfully reproduced the tensor-subtracted monopole interaction of empirically fitted interactions. This finding has lead to the monopolebased universal interaction (V MU ) 4) which consists of the one-range Gaussian central force and the π + ρ meson exchange tensor force for the purpose of giving a simple and universal monopole interaction, or shell evolution.While V MU seems to be promising as far as the single-particle energy is concerned, the validity of V MU as the effective interaction, which produces configuration mixing and deformation, has not been clarified. In the present paper, we aim at demonstrating that V MU is quite effective as the shell-model interaction as exemplified by the sd-pf -and sd-pf -sdg-shell regions. We focus on the states which are