diff --git a/documentation/_data/nav.js b/documentation/_data/nav.js
index 8d7db221..07ee3024 100644
--- a/documentation/_data/nav.js
+++ b/documentation/_data/nav.js
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ module.exports = [
       { id: 'html5-polyfill', text: 'HTML5 polyfill', url: '/demo/html5-polyfill.html' },
       { id: 'html5-polyfill-firefox8', text: 'HTML5 polyfill (Firefox)', url: '/demo/html5-polyfill-firefox8.html' },
       { id: 'input', text: 'Input Commands', url: '/demo/input.html' },
+      { id: 'input-rename-trigger', text: 'Input Commands (accessing the trigger)', url: '/demo/input-rename-trigger.html' },
       { id: 'keeping-contextmenu-open', text: 'Keeping the context menu open', url: '/demo/keeping-contextmenu-open.html' },
       { id: 'menu-title', text: 'Menus with titles', url: '/demo/menu-title.html' },
       { id: 'menu-promise', text: 'Menu with promise', url: '/demo/menu-promise.html' },
diff --git a/documentation/demo/input-rename-trigger.md b/documentation/demo/input-rename-trigger.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1db4babb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/documentation/demo/input-rename-trigger.md
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+---
+currentMenu: input-rename-trigger
+---
+
+# Demo: Renaming the trigger from an input command
+
+<!-- START doctoc generated TOC please keep comment here to allow auto update -->
+<!-- DON'T EDIT THIS SECTION, INSTEAD RE-RUN doctoc TO UPDATE -->
+
+
+- [Example code](#example-code)
+- [Example HTML](#example-html)
+
+<!-- END doctoc generated TOC please keep comment here to allow auto update -->
+
+Item level [`events`](../docs/items.html#events) handlers are bound with the menu's
+options object as jQuery event data, so `e.data.$trigger` is the element that opened
+the menu. Inside the handler `this` is the `<input>` itself, exactly like any other
+jQuery event handler.
+
+Both buttons below share a single menu definition. Left-click one, type a new label
+and click somewhere else so the input loses focus. The button you clicked is renamed,
+the other one is not.
+
+<button class="context-menu-rename btn btn-neutral">Button one</button>
+<button class="context-menu-rename btn btn-neutral">Button two</button>
+
+## Example code
+
+<script type="text/javascript" class="showcase">
+$(function(){
+    $.contextMenu({
+        selector: '.context-menu-rename',
+        trigger: 'left',
+        items: {
+            label: {
+                name: "Label",
+                type: 'text',
+                events: {
+                    focus: function(e) {
+                        // `e.data` is the menu's options object, `$trigger` is the
+                        // element the menu was opened on
+                        $(this).val(e.data.$trigger.text());
+                    },
+                    focusout: function(e) {
+                        // `this` is the <input>, so write its value back onto the
+                        // button that opened this menu
+                        e.data.$trigger.text($(this).val());
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+            sep1: "---------",
+            close: {
+                name: "Close",
+                callback: $.noop
+            }
+        }
+    });
+});
+</script>
+
+## Example HTML
+<div style="display:none;" class="showcase" data-showcase-import=".context-menu-rename"></div>
diff --git a/documentation/docs/items.md b/documentation/docs/items.md
index 2b49cca8..7f903a93 100644
--- a/documentation/docs/items.md
+++ b/documentation/docs/items.md
@@ -316,12 +316,20 @@ __Only used with [types](#type) `text`, `textarea`, `radio`, `checkbox` and `sel
 
 `events`: `object`
 
+Inside a handler:
+
+* `this` is the `<input>`, `<textarea>` or `<select>` element, just like in any other jQuery event handler.
+* `e.data` is the options object of the menu the item belongs to, so `e.data.$trigger` is the
+  element the menu was opened on. This also works for items in a sub-menu, and it always points
+  at the element that opened the currently visible menu, so a single menu definition shared by
+  many triggers still resolves to the right one.
+* `e.data.$menu` is the `<ul>` of the menu the item belongs to.
 
 #### Example
 ```javascript
 $.contextMenu({
     selector: 'span.context-menu',
-    events: {
+    items: {
         command1: {
             name: "Foobar", 
             type: "text", 
@@ -336,6 +344,28 @@ $.contextMenu({
 });
 ```
 
+#### Example: writing a value back to the trigger
+
+```javascript
+$.contextMenu({
+    selector: 'button.context-menu',
+    trigger: 'left',
+    items: {
+        label: {
+            name: "Label",
+            type: "text",
+            events: {
+                focusout: function(e){
+                    // `this` is the <input>, `e.data.$trigger` is the button
+                    e.data.$trigger.text($(this).val());
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+});
+```
+
+See the [renaming the trigger from an input command](../demo/input-rename-trigger.html) demo.
 
 ### value
 
diff --git a/src/jquery.contextMenu.js b/src/jquery.contextMenu.js
index 03d0b7b0..88ced1a7 100644
--- a/src/jquery.contextMenu.js
+++ b/src/jquery.contextMenu.js
@@ -1280,6 +1280,28 @@
         },
         // operations
         op = {
+            // Stamp the element that opened the menu onto the menu's options object
+            // and onto the options object of every sub-menu that already exists.
+            // Item-level `events` handlers are bound with their own menu's options
+            // object as jQuery event data, so without this a handler on an input in
+            // a sub-menu has no way to reach the trigger.
+            // See https://github.com/swisnl/jQuery-contextMenu/issues/729
+            setTrigger: function (opt, $trigger) {
+                opt.$trigger = $trigger;
+
+                if (!opt.items) {
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                $.each(opt.items, function (key, item) {
+                    // only descend into sub-menus that have actually been created;
+                    // ones still waiting on a promise pick the trigger up from the
+                    // root in op.create()
+                    if (item && item.$menu) {
+                        op.setTrigger(item, $trigger);
+                    }
+                });
+            },
             show: function (opt, x, y) {
                 var $trigger = $(this),
                     css = {};
@@ -1291,7 +1313,7 @@
                     $(document).trigger('contextmenu:hide');
 
                 // backreference for callbacks
-                opt.$trigger = $trigger;
+                op.setTrigger(opt, $trigger);
 
                 // show event
                 if (opt.events.show.call($trigger, opt) === false) {
@@ -1448,6 +1470,13 @@
                     root = opt;
                 }
 
+                // sub-menus created after the menu was shown (a promise resolving,
+                // for instance) missed op.setTrigger(), so inherit the trigger from
+                // the root here. See op.setTrigger().
+                if (opt !== root && root.$trigger) {
+                    opt.$trigger = root.$trigger;
+                }
+
                 // define handler for fast input clicks
                 var handleFastInputClick = function(e) {
                     var $inputClicked = $(this);
diff --git a/test/unit/issue-729-trigger-in-item-events.test.js b/test/unit/issue-729-trigger-in-item-events.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..857ea38b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/issue-729-trigger-in-item-events.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+QUnit.module('issue 729 - trigger reachable from item events handlers', {
+  beforeEach: function() {
+    var $fixture = $('#qunit-fixture');
+    if ($fixture.length === 0) {
+      $fixture = $('<div id="qunit-fixture"></div>').appendTo('body');
+    }
+    $fixture.html(
+      '<button class="trigger729" id="trigger-a">A</button>' +
+      '<button class="trigger729" id="trigger-b">B</button>'
+    );
+  },
+  afterEach: function() {
+    $.contextMenu('destroy');
+    $(document).trigger('contextmenu:hide');
+    $('#qunit-fixture').html('');
+  }
+});
+
+// Regression test for https://github.com/swisnl/jQuery-contextMenu/issues/729
+// An item-level `events` handler is bound with its menu's options object as
+// jQuery event data, so `e.data.$trigger` must point at the element that opened
+// the menu - also when several elements share one menu definition.
+QUnit.test('e.data.$trigger identifies the element that opened the menu', function(assert) {
+  var seen = [];
+
+  $.contextMenu({
+    selector: '.trigger729',
+    items: {
+      label: {
+        name: 'Label',
+        type: 'text',
+        events: {
+          focusout: function(e) {
+            seen.push(e.data.$trigger);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  $('#trigger-a').trigger($.Event('contextmenu', {pageX: 10, pageY: 10}));
+  $('.context-menu-root').find('input[type=text]').trigger('focusout');
+
+  assert.equal(seen.length, 1, 'the focusout handler ran');
+  assert.ok(seen[0] instanceof $, 'e.data.$trigger is a jQuery object');
+  assert.equal(seen[0][0], $('#trigger-a')[0], 'e.data.$trigger is the first trigger');
+
+  $(document).trigger('contextmenu:hide');
+  $('#trigger-b').trigger($.Event('contextmenu', {pageX: 10, pageY: 10}));
+  $('.context-menu-root').find('input[type=text]').trigger('focusout');
+
+  assert.equal(seen.length, 2, 'the focusout handler ran again');
+  assert.equal(seen[1][0], $('#trigger-b')[0], 'e.data.$trigger is the second trigger');
+});
+
+QUnit.test('e.data.$trigger is available on sub-menu items too', function(assert) {
+  var seen = [];
+
+  $.contextMenu({
+    selector: '.trigger729',
+    items: {
+      sub: {
+        name: 'Sub',
+        items: {
+          label: {
+            name: 'Nested label',
+            type: 'text',
+            events: {
+              focusout: function(e) {
+                seen.push(e.data.$trigger);
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  $('#trigger-a').trigger($.Event('contextmenu', {pageX: 10, pageY: 10}));
+  $('input[type=text]').trigger('focusout');
+
+  assert.equal(seen.length, 1, 'the nested focusout handler ran');
+  assert.ok(seen[0] && seen[0].length, 'e.data.$trigger is set for a sub-menu item');
+  assert.equal(seen[0][0], $('#trigger-a')[0], 'e.data.$trigger is the trigger, not the sub-menu opener');
+
+  $(document).trigger('contextmenu:hide');
+  $('#trigger-b').trigger($.Event('contextmenu', {pageX: 10, pageY: 10}));
+  $('input[type=text]').trigger('focusout');
+
+  assert.equal(seen.length, 2, 'the nested focusout handler ran again');
+  assert.equal(seen[1][0], $('#trigger-b')[0], 'e.data.$trigger follows the second trigger');
+});
+
+QUnit.test('e.data.$trigger is available on a promise-built sub-menu', function(assert) {
+  var done = assert.async();
+  var deferred = $.Deferred();
+  var seen = null;
+
+  $.contextMenu({
+    selector: '.trigger729',
+    items: {
+      sub: {
+        name: 'Sub',
+        items: deferred.promise()
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  $('#trigger-a').trigger($.Event('contextmenu', {pageX: 10, pageY: 10}));
+
+  deferred.resolve({
+    label: {
+      name: 'Nested label',
+      type: 'text',
+      events: {
+        focusout: function(e) {
+          seen = e.data.$trigger;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  setTimeout(function() {
+    $('input[type=text]').trigger('focusout');
+    assert.ok(seen && seen.length, 'e.data.$trigger is set on a lazily created sub-menu');
+    assert.equal(seen[0], $('#trigger-a')[0], 'e.data.$trigger is the trigger');
+    done();
+  }, 0);
+});
+
+// The reporter's scenario: a text input in the menu writes its value back onto
+// the button that opened the menu when the input loses focus.
+QUnit.test('reporter scenario - focusout writes the input value back to the trigger', function(assert) {
+  $.contextMenu({
+    selector: '.trigger729',
+    items: {
+      label: {
+        name: 'Label',
+        type: 'text',
+        events: {
+          focusout: function(e) {
+            e.data.$trigger.text($(this).val());
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  $('#trigger-b').trigger($.Event('contextmenu', {pageX: 10, pageY: 10}));
+  $('.context-menu-root').find('input[type=text]').val('Renamed').trigger('focusout');
+
+  assert.equal($('#trigger-b').text(), 'Renamed', 'the trigger label was updated');
+  assert.equal($('#trigger-a').text(), 'A', 'the other trigger was left alone');
+});