Mukai is asteroid #4750 and also known as 1990 XC₁. Mukai is a member of the asteroid-clan Flora/ Ariadne. Mukai’s orbit is characterized by a semi-major axis of 2.18 Astronomical Units, an eccentricity of 0.09, a period of revolution of 1 180 days, and an inclination of 4.9 degrees. Mukai was discovered by the Japanese amateur astronomers Fujii Tetsuya (藤井 哲也) and Watanabe Kazurō (渡辺 和郎) at the Kitami Observatory.

Mukai is named after Mukai Chiaki (向井 千秋). She is a Japanese physician, cardiovascular surgeon, and JAXA astronaut. She was in 1985 chosen as a (backup) payload specialist (this means she isn’t a full-time astronaut) by the NASDA (National Space Development Agency of Japan), which was the predecessor organization of the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Mukai Chiaki (向井 千秋) was the first Japanese citizen, who had two spaceflights. Mukai Chiaki (向井 千秋) also was the first Japanese woman and the first Asian woman (albeit many Japanese object to be counted as Asians) in space. Mukai Chiaki (向井 千秋) has a career in the JAXA and a career in medicine, nevertheless she also has many publicly known hobbies. These are snow skiing, Alpine competitive skiing, bass fishing, scuba diving, tennis, golf, photography, American Literature, and traveling. Mukai Chiaki (向井 千秋) is married. Her birth name is Naitō Chiaki (内藤 千秋). She was born in 1952 and is since 2015 only working as a technical counselor and has retired from everything else. Her husband is the physician Mukai Makio (向井 万起男), who was born in 1947. Mukai Chiaki (向井 千秋) got the nickname Tennyo (天女) during her first space flight. The asteroid Tennyo is named after her nickname.

Mukai Chiaki (向井 千秋) has a very colorful life and there are many reasons for honoring her with naming an asteroid after her. Mukai nevertheless is named after her husband’s family. The personal name of Chiaki (千秋) or her family aren’t part of this honor. The family-name Mukai (向井) also is a boring topographic name, meaning “in the direction of/ facing towards the well/ the fountain”. So the asteroid-name Mukai is as patriarchic as a name can be patriarchic. So Mukai should represent exactly this: Patriarchy and men, who get honored for the achievements of their wives.