“karate being just karate “ is a misconception

 Three different karate versions today ...

(a) genuine Okinawan “self-protection”

 (b) “Japanized” recreational “self-perfection”

  (c) sports-karate for competition. 

All other Japanese martial arts use different terms for these different versions. For instance, there is the term ju-jutsu for the original combat version used by samurai in ancient Japan, and there is the new term ju-do for its modern sports variation. 

To avoid misunderstandings, different terms should be used for different karate versions ... 

(a) Classic “karate-jutsu” [initially called Ti in Okinawan language], is bugei-karate for civilian self-protection, created on Okinawa 600+ years ago.

 (b) Old-style “karate-do”, the “Japanized” self-perfection version is budo-karate as a way of life, created on mainland Japan before WWII. Before the 1920s, karate was unknown on mainland Japan. 

(c) Modern “sports-karate”, the art’s new competition versions, created about 60 years ago. Sports-karate is as far away from Okinawan karate as javelin-throwing or fencing are away from their initial martial use.