This study examines the structural characteristics and pathways of creativity cultivation in music creation education in lower elementary grades in China and Japan from a comparative education perspective. Using textbook content analysis

it focuses on "music creation" (ongakuzukuri) activities in current elementary school music textbooks

classifying them into four types: body movement-mediated

sound material exploration

structural composition

and situational or story-based expression. The analysis compares both distribution patterns and learning processes. The findings reveal that Chinese textbooks present a relatively balanced distribution

emphasizing experiential participation grounded in daily contexts

while Japanese textbooks concentrate more on structured composition activities

guiding students through staged and rule-based learning. These differences reflect two distinct approaches to creativity cultivation: an experience-oriented model in China and a structure-oriented model in Japan.