This article aims to re-examine theories of ritual, drawing from a case study on “danjiri festivals” and focusing on the idea of “the margins of society.” Durkheim’s concept of collective effervescence, one of the most influential theories of ritual, retains its explanatory power with regard to ritual by small groups; however, we need to confirm its effectiveness in explaining large-scale urban rituals. This is because it is impossible to assume collective effervescence in a gigantic and complex urban system that would involve all its elements. We examine two cases, “Kishiwada Danjiri Festival” and “Ootori Danjiri Festival,” both held in the city of Osaka in Japan. A comparison of these cases has brought the following to light: there is interaction between the two festivals, and a large-scale cultural sphere has been constructed, one that cannot be found through investigation of individual rituals. In addition, the emergence of stratification in the social evaluation of rituals and the exchange of personnel have played an important role in the formation of this cultural sphere. Conventional theories of ritual that focus on collective effervescence cannot explain the complex interlocking mechanisms and multi-layered nature of the motivating force behind ritual, but this study has demonstrated that by introducing the perspective of “the margins of society,” improvements can be made in this respect.